Background/AimsEndoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been an established treatment for indicated early gastric cancer (EGC) without deterioration of quality of life (QOL) compared with surgical resection. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term QOL in patients undergoing ESD for EGC.MethodsPatients scheduled to undergo curative ESD for EGC were prospectively enrolled from 12 institutions between May 2010 and December 2011. Assessments of QOL with Korean versions of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QOL questionnaire-core (QLQ-C30) and a gastric cancer-specific questionnaire (STO22) were performed at baseline and at 7 days, 3 months, and 6 months after ESD.ResultsA total of 666 subjects were assessed for QLQ-C30 and QLQ-STO22. The mean QLQ-C30 score was 69.5 at baseline, 68.8 at 7 days, 73.1 at 3 months, and 73.2 at 6 months. The global health status on the EORTC QLQ-C30 was significantly improved after 3 and 6 months (p=0.0003 and p<0.0001, respectively). The QLQ-C30 and STO22 scores were not significantly different, or they only slightly deteriorated between before and immediately after ESD, but they were significantly improved after 3 and 6 months (p<0.05).ConclusionsQOL did not deteriorate immediately after ESD, and it improved more significantly at up to 6 months in patients who underwent curative ESD for EGC without significant complications.

This retrospective cohort study was done to investigate the incidence of hypertension and its relation to the fasting blood glucose level in Korea. The eligible non-hypertensive subjects (n = 3,396,187) among the National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening (NHIS-HEALS) examinees (n = 10,644,911) in 2009 were followed up until 2015. A Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate the risk of the high blood glucose level for the incident hypertension while controlling for covariates’ confounding effect. The cumulative incidence rate was 10.6% for seven years (11.6% in men and 8.3% in women). The incidence density was 1474.8 per 100,000 person-years. High fasting blood glucose (adjusted Hazard Ratio (aHR), 1.836; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.810 to 1.862), prediabetes (aHR, 1.249; 95% CI, 1.237 to 1.260), a history of diabetes mellitus (aHR, 1.635; 95% CI, 1.605 to 1.666), high triglyceride (aHR, 1.292; 95% CI, 1.280 to 1.303), a history of dyslipidemia (aHR, 1.279; 95% CI, 1.253 to 1.305) and prehypertension group (aHR, 1.964; 95% CI, 1.948 to 1.979) were significantly related to the incident hypertension after adjusting for covariates. Among real-world data in Korea, high blood glucose level was the independent risk factor for developing hypertension.

(1) Objective: This study examined the incidence and risk factors contributing to the progression to diabetes mellitus (DM) in a seven-year follow-up study of non-diabetic National Health Examinees. (2) Methods: For this retrospective observational cohort study, we used two national representative databases: the National Health Screening (HEALS) database 2009 and the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database 2009–2015. The eligible subjects without DM with blood sugar levels of <126 mg/dL were selected using the HEALS database. The subsequent follow-up and clinical outcomes were evaluated using the NHIS database. Cox proportional hazard regression was applied to examine the effects of the covariates on progression to diabetes. (3) Results: Among those who took part in the national health screening in 2009, 4,205,006 subjects who met the eligibility criteria were selected. Of these, 587,015 were diagnosed with DM during the follow-up by 2015. The incidence of progression from non-diabetes to DM was 14.0%, whereas that from impaired fasting glucose (IFG) to DM was 21.9%. Compared to the normal group, the newly diagnosed DM group was more likely to comprise older, female, currently smoking, and high-risk drinking participants and participants with IFG, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome. (4) Conclusions: This epidemiological study in the Republic of Korea found risk factors similar to those of other studies, but the incidence of progression to DM was 22.8 per 1000 person-years, which is higher than that previously reported. Hence, more care is needed to prevent DM.

We aimed to develop evidence-based recommendations for treating axial spondylarthritis (axSpA) in Korea. The development committee was constructed, key clinical questions were determined, and the evidence was searched through online databases including MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, KoreaMed, and Kmbase. Systematic literature reviews were conducted, quality of evidence was determined, and draft recommendations were formulated according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluations methodology. Recommendations that reached 80% consensus among a voting panel were finalized. Three principles and 21 recommendations were determined. Recommendations 1 and 2 pertain to treatment strategies, regular disease status assessment, and rheumatologist-steered multidisciplinary management. Recommendations 3 and 4 strongly recommend patient education, exercise, and smoking cessation. Recommendations 5–12 address pharmacological treatment of active disease using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids, sulfasalazine, biologics, and Janus kinase inhibitors. Recommendations 13–16 address treatment in stable disease. We suggest against spa and acupuncture as therapies (Recommendation 17). Recommendations 18 and 19 pertain to total hip arthroplasty and spinal surgery. Monitoring of comorbidities and drug toxicities are recommended (Recommendations 20 and 21). Recommendations for axSpA treatment in a Korean context were developed based on comprehensive clinical questions and evidence. These are intended to guide best practice in the treatment of axSpA.

We aimed to develop evidence-based recommendations for treating axial spondylarthritis (axSpA) in Korea. The development committee was constructed, key clinical questions were determined, and the evidence was searched through online databases including MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, KoreaMed, and KMbase. Systematic literature reviews were conducted, quality of evidence was determined, and draft recommendations were formulated according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluations methodology. Recommendations that reached 80% consensus among a voting panel were finalized. Three principles and 21 recommendations were determined. Recommendations 1 and 2 pertain to treatment strategies, regular disease status assessment, and rheumatologist-steered multidisciplinary management. Recommendations 3 and 4 strongly recommend patient education, exercise, and smoking cessation. Recommendations 5~12 address pharmacological treatment of active disease using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids, sulfasalazine, biologics, and Janus kinase inhibitors. Recommendations 13~16 address treatment in stable disease. We suggest against spa and acupuncture as therapies (Recommendation 17). Recommendations 18 and 19 pertain to total hip arthroplasty and spinal surgery. Monitoring of comorbidities and drug toxicities are recommended (Recommendations 20 and 21). Recommendations for axSpA treatment in a Korean context were developed based on comprehensive clinical questions and evidence. These are intended to guide best practice in the treatment of axSpA.