Purpose: This study examined associations between timing of marital dissolution, duration since marital dissolution, and self-rated health among marriage immigrants in South Korea who live in single-person households. Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a secondary analysis of data from the 2021 Korean National Multicultural Family Survey. We performed binary logistic regression analyses to examine the relationships between the variables of interest while controlling for social support, economic well-being, psychological well-being, and sociodemographic characteristics. Data from 407 marriage immigrant single-person households were included in the analyses. Results: Marriage immigrants’ self-rated health fluctuated over time but generally exhibited a downward trend following marital dissolution. After controlling for confounders, marital dissolution after age 50 and longer duration since dissolution (e.g., 3-6 years and 9+ years) were associated with increased odds of poor self-rated health. Unemployment and depressive symptoms significantly increased the odds of poor self-rated health, while higher social support had a protective effect. Conclusion Transitioning to singlehood after marital dissolution may have long-term negative health consequences, particularly for those experiencing this transition later in life. Proactive interventions focusing on social support and health resource acquisition within the initial 3 years of separation may be crucial to mitigate health decline.

Purpose: This study examined associations between timing of marital dissolution, duration since marital dissolution, and self-rated health among marriage immigrants in South Korea who live in single-person households. Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a secondary analysis of data from the 2021 Korean National Multicultural Family Survey. We performed binary logistic regression analyses to examine the relationships between the variables of interest while controlling for social support, economic well-being, psychological well-being, and sociodemographic characteristics. Data from 407 marriage immigrant single-person households were included in the analyses. Results: Marriage immigrants’ self-rated health fluctuated over time but generally exhibited a downward trend following marital dissolution. After controlling for confounders, marital dissolution after age 50 and longer duration since dissolution (e.g., 3-6 years and 9+ years) were associated with increased odds of poor self-rated health. Unemployment and depressive symptoms significantly increased the odds of poor self-rated health, while higher social support had a protective effect. Conclusion Transitioning to singlehood after marital dissolution may have long-term negative health consequences, particularly for those experiencing this transition later in life. Proactive interventions focusing on social support and health resource acquisition within the initial 3 years of separation may be crucial to mitigate health decline.

Purpose: This study examined associations between timing of marital dissolution, duration since marital dissolution, and self-rated health among marriage immigrants in South Korea who live in single-person households. Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a secondary analysis of data from the 2021 Korean National Multicultural Family Survey. We performed binary logistic regression analyses to examine the relationships between the variables of interest while controlling for social support, economic well-being, psychological well-being, and sociodemographic characteristics. Data from 407 marriage immigrant single-person households were included in the analyses. Results: Marriage immigrants’ self-rated health fluctuated over time but generally exhibited a downward trend following marital dissolution. After controlling for confounders, marital dissolution after age 50 and longer duration since dissolution (e.g., 3-6 years and 9+ years) were associated with increased odds of poor self-rated health. Unemployment and depressive symptoms significantly increased the odds of poor self-rated health, while higher social support had a protective effect. Conclusion Transitioning to singlehood after marital dissolution may have long-term negative health consequences, particularly for those experiencing this transition later in life. Proactive interventions focusing on social support and health resource acquisition within the initial 3 years of separation may be crucial to mitigate health decline.

Purpose: This study examined associations between timing of marital dissolution, duration since marital dissolution, and self-rated health among marriage immigrants in South Korea who live in single-person households. Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a secondary analysis of data from the 2021 Korean National Multicultural Family Survey. We performed binary logistic regression analyses to examine the relationships between the variables of interest while controlling for social support, economic well-being, psychological well-being, and sociodemographic characteristics. Data from 407 marriage immigrant single-person households were included in the analyses. Results: Marriage immigrants’ self-rated health fluctuated over time but generally exhibited a downward trend following marital dissolution. After controlling for confounders, marital dissolution after age 50 and longer duration since dissolution (e.g., 3-6 years and 9+ years) were associated with increased odds of poor self-rated health. Unemployment and depressive symptoms significantly increased the odds of poor self-rated health, while higher social support had a protective effect. Conclusion Transitioning to singlehood after marital dissolution may have long-term negative health consequences, particularly for those experiencing this transition later in life. Proactive interventions focusing on social support and health resource acquisition within the initial 3 years of separation may be crucial to mitigate health decline.

Purpose: This study examined associations between timing of marital dissolution, duration since marital dissolution, and self-rated health among marriage immigrants in South Korea who live in single-person households. Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a secondary analysis of data from the 2021 Korean National Multicultural Family Survey. We performed binary logistic regression analyses to examine the relationships between the variables of interest while controlling for social support, economic well-being, psychological well-being, and sociodemographic characteristics. Data from 407 marriage immigrant single-person households were included in the analyses. Results: Marriage immigrants’ self-rated health fluctuated over time but generally exhibited a downward trend following marital dissolution. After controlling for confounders, marital dissolution after age 50 and longer duration since dissolution (e.g., 3-6 years and 9+ years) were associated with increased odds of poor self-rated health. Unemployment and depressive symptoms significantly increased the odds of poor self-rated health, while higher social support had a protective effect. Conclusion Transitioning to singlehood after marital dissolution may have long-term negative health consequences, particularly for those experiencing this transition later in life. Proactive interventions focusing on social support and health resource acquisition within the initial 3 years of separation may be crucial to mitigate health decline.

Background: Flow cytometric immunophenotyping of hematolymphoid neoplasms (FCIHLN) is essential for diagnosis, classification, and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. FCI-HLN is typically performed using in-house protocols, raising the need for standardization. Therefore, we surveyed the current status of FCI-HLN in Korea to obtain fundamental data for quality improvement and standardization. Methods: Eight university hospitals actively conducting FCI-HLN participated in our survey.We analyzed responses to a questionnaire that included inquiries regarding test items, reagent antibodies (RAs), fluorophores, sample amounts (SAs), reagent antibody amounts (RAAs), acquisition cell number (ACN), isotype control (IC) usage, positiveegative criteria, and reporting. Results: Most hospitals used acute HLN, chronic HLN, plasma cell neoplasm (PCN), and MRD panels. The numbers of RAs were heterogeneous, with a maximum of 32, 26, 12, 14, and 10 antibodies used for acute HLN, chronic HLN, PCN, ALL-MRD, and multiple myeloma-MRD, respectively. The number of fluorophores ranged from 4 to 10. RAs, SAs, RAAs, and ACN were diverse. Most hospitals used a positive criterion of 20%, whereas one used 10% for acute and chronic HLN panels. Five hospitals used ICs for the negative criterion. Positiveegative assignments, percentages, and general opinions were commonly reported. In MRD reporting, the limit of detection and lower limit of quantification were included. Conclusions This is the first comprehensive study on the current status of FCI-HLN in Korea, confirming the high heterogeneity and complexity of FCI-HLN practices. Standardization of FCI-HLN is urgently needed. The findings provide a reference for establishing standard FCI-HLN guidelines.

COVID-19 can lead to pulmonary complications, including organizing pneumonia.Steroids are essential in treating post-COVID-19 organizing pneumonia. However, research on the clinical benefits of initiating steroid treatment early for this condition is limited. To investigate the steroid initiation time in its association with treatment duration and corticosteroid dose for treating post-COVID-19 organizing pneumonia, we analyzed the data of 91 patients with post-COVID-19 organizing pneumonia at Chonnam National University Hospital between October 2020 and December 2022.Patients were categorized into early and late groups based on time from COVID-19 diagnosis to steroid initiation time for organizing pneumonia. The mean time interval between COVID-19 infection and steroid initiation time for treating organizing pneumonia, was 18.4±8.6 days. Within the early treatment group (treatment initiated ＜18.4 days after COVID-19), which included 55 patients, the mean duration of steroid treatment was 43.1±18.3days. In contrast, the late treatment group (initiated ≥18.4 days after COVID-19), which consisted of 36 patients, had a longer mean duration of steroid treatment 59.1±22.6 days) (p＜0.01). Regarding corticosteroid dosing, the early treatment group had an average dosage of 0.5±0.3 mg/kg/day, in contrast to the late group, which averaged 0.8±0.3 mg/kg/day (p＜0.01). Regression analysis showed steroid initiation time significantly influenced treatment duration (=0.80 , p＜0.01) and dosage (=0.03, p＜0.01). The clinical benefits of early steroid treatment for post-COVID-19 organizing pneumonia may lie in its association with reduced steroid treatment duration and dosage.

Dysphagia following anterior cervical spine surgery (ACSS) poses a significant clinical challenge, with recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury emerging as a potential contributor. This case report describes the case of a 55-year-old male who underwent ACSS and subsequently developed dysphagia and hoarseness due to left RLN damage.Employing videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS)-guided balloon dilatation on postoperative day 12, we observed a notable improvement in the opening of the upper esophageal sphincter (UES), as validated by a follow-up VFSS.The patient successfully transitioned from total parenteral nutrition to oral intake, demonstrating the clinical significance of the intervention. Although promising, long-term follow-up studies are warranted to assess the sustained efficacy of VFSS-guided balloon dilatation and the potential recurrence of dysphagia. Safety considerations and protocol variations merit further investigation, emphasizing the need for collaborative multicenter studies. In conclusion, VFSS-guided balloon dilatation is a potentially effective treatment for post-ACSS dysphagia associated with UES dysfunction caused by RLN injury.

Background and Objectives: Accumulating evidence shows that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) reduce adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, whether SGLT2i, compared with other antidiabetic drugs, reduce the new development of atrial fibrillation (AF) is unclear. In this study, we compared SGLT2i with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4is) in terms of reduction in the risk of AF in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Methods: We included 42,786 propensity score-matched pairs of SGLT2i and DPP-4i users without previous AF diagnosis using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database between May 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018. Results: During a median follow-up of 1.3 years, SGLT2i users had a lower incidence of AF than DPP-4i users (1.95 vs. 2.65 per 1,000 person-years; hazard ratio [HR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55–0.97; p=0.028]). In individuals without heart failure, SGLT2i users was associated with a decreased risk of AF incidence (HR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.52–0.94; p=0.019) compared to DPP-4i users. However, individuals with heart failure, SGLT2i users was not significantly associated with a change in risk (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.44–2.44; p=0.936). Conclusions In this nationwide cohort study of individuals with type 2 diabetes, treatment with SGLT2i was associated with a lower risk of AF compared with treatment with DPP-4i.

Objective: : With the recent increase in mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS), the role of neurosurgeons in AIS treatment has become increasingly important. This study aimed to assess the outcomes of patients with AIS treated by neurosurgeons and neurologists in the emergency room (ER) of a tertiary hospital in South Korea. Methods: : From January 2020 to June 2021, 536 patients with AIS within 24 hours of symptom onset were admitted to our hospital via the ER. Based on the type of doctors who provided initial care for AIS in the ER, patients were divided into two groups : (a) neurosurgeon group (n=119, 22.2%) and (b) neurologist group (n=417, 77.8%). Results: : Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) was administered in 82 (15.3%) of 536 patients (n=17 [14.3%] in the neurosurgeon group and n=65 [15.6%] in the neurologist group). The door-to-tPA time was not significantly different between both groups (median, 53 minutes; interquartile range [IQR], 45–58 vs. median, 54 minutes; IQR, 46–74; p=0.372). MT was performed in 69 patients (12.9%) (n=25, 36.2% in the neurosurgeon group and n=44, 63.8% in the neurologist group). The neurosurgeon group achieved a shorter door-to-puncture time than the neurologist group (median, 115 minutes; IQR, 107–151 vs. median, 162 minutes; IQR, 117–189; p=0.049). Good clinical outcomes (3-month modified Rankin Scale 0–2) did not differ significantly between the two groups (96/119 [80.7%] vs. 322/417 [77.2%], p=0.454). Conclusion : The neurosurgeon group showed similar door-to-treatment time and clinical outcomes to the neurologist group in patients with AIS in the ER. This study suggests that neurosurgeons have comparable abilities to care for patients with AIS in the ER.