Objective: The increasing concern over adolescent suicide necessitates suicide prevention training for school teachers, as students spend a significant portion of their time at school. This study’s objective is to develop a suicide prevention program tailored for teachers. Methods: The program was developed by a multidisciplinary research team, drawing on a review of both domestic and international suicide prevention programs, related scholarly articles, and Korean psychological autopsy interviews of adolescents. This was complemented by a survey of teachers to assess the program’s practicality and usability. Results: The developed program comprises three parts, consistent with other versions: Careful Observation, Active Listening, and Risk Evaluation and Expert Referral. Careful Observation focuses on training teachers to recognize verbal, behavioral, and situational warning signs of suicidal ideation in students; Active Listening involves strategies for encouraging students to express their suicidal thoughts and techniques for being an empathetic and attentive listener; Risk Evaluation and Expert Referral provides instruction on how to assess suicide risk and assist students safely. Conclusion It is anticipated that this program will equip teachers with valuable knowledge and skills, contributing to a reduction in adolescents suicide rates.

Objective: North Korean defectors (NKDs) have experienced substantial difficulties during the migration and settlement in South Korea. They have a high prevalence of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal behaviors. The high prevalence of mental disorders among NKDs can lead to a high suicide rate. However, there are no suicide prevention programs for NKDs. This study aims to customize a suicide prevention program with content suitable for NKDs’ particular circumstances. Methods: A multidisciplinary research team developed this program based on domestic and international gatekeeper training programs for suicide prevention and articles related to suicide prevention. Results: We developed a multi-part gatekeeper training program, “Suicide CARE for NKDs.” In the “Introduction,” trainees learn about the need for the program and its importance. In “Careful observation,” trainees learn to recognize linguistic, behavioral, and situational signals of suicide risk. In “Active listening,” trainees learn how to ask about suicidal thoughts and to listen empathetically. In “Risk evaluation and expert referral,” trainees learn to evaluate suicide risk and to connect NKDs with institutes or services. Conclusion We expect this program to become useful for training gatekeepers to prevent suicide among NKD. A future follow-up study is needed to confirm the efficacy of the program.

Background: To evaluate prescription trends and clinical factors of the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) use according to the presence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or heart failure (HF) in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: Prescription patterns of SGLT2i use between 2015 and 2019 were determined using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database of claims. Results: Of all patients with T2DM (n=4,736,493), the annual prescription rate of SGLT2i increased every year in patients with ASCVD (from 2.2% to 10.7%) or HF (from 2.0% to 11.1%). After the first hospitalization for ASCVD (n=518,572), 13.7% (n=71,259) of patients initiated SGLT2i with a median of 10.6 months. After hospitalization for HF (n=372,853), 11.2% (n=41,717) of patients initiated SGLT2i after a median of 8.8 months. In multivariate regression for hospitalization, older age (per 10 years, odds ratio [OR], 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56 to 0.57), lower household income (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.92 to 0.95), rural residents (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.93 to 0.97), and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) users (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.81 to 0.84) were associated with lesser initiation of SGLT2i in ASCVD. Additionally, female gender (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95 to 0.99) was associated with lesser initiation of SGLT2i in HF. Conclusion The prescription rate of SGLT2i increased gradually up to 2019 but was suboptimal in patients with ASCVD or HF. After the first hospitalization for ASCVD or HF, older age, female gender, low household income, rural residents, and DPP-4i users were less likely to initiate SGLT2i.

Purpose: In this trial, we investigated the efficacy and safety of adjuvant letrozole for hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer. Here, we report the clinical outcome in postmenopausal women with HR-positive breast cancer treated with adjuvant letrozole according to estrogen receptor (ER) expression levels. Methods: In this multi-institutional, open-label, observational study, postmenopausal patients with HR-positive breast cancer received adjuvant letrozole (2.5 mg/daily) for 5 years unless they experienced disease progression or unacceptable toxicity or withdrew their consent. The patients were stratified into the following 3 groups according to ER expression levels using a modified Allred score (AS): low, intermediate, and high (AS 3–4, 5–6, and 7–8, respectively). ER expression was centrally reviewed. The primary objective was the 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate. Results: Between April 25, 2010, and February 5, 2014, 440 patients were enrolled. With a median follow-up of 62.0 months, the 5-year DFS rate in all patients was 94.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 91.8–96.6). The 5-year DFS and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates did not differ according to ER expression; the 5-year DFS rates were 94.3% and 94.1%in the low-to-intermediate and high expression groups, respectively (p = 0.6), and the corresponding 5-year RFS rates were 95.7% and 95.4%, respectively (p = 0.7). Furthermore, 25 patients discontinued letrozole because of drug toxicity. Conclusion Treatment with adjuvant letrozole showed very favorable treatment outcomes and good tolerability among Korean postmenopausal women with ER-positive breast cancer, independent of ER expression.