We assess the factors affecting national administrative rationalization in the context of the current worldwide movement for governance reforms, focusing on national linkages to world society rather than internal socioeconomic development. We conduct cross-national longitudinal analyses of a multiple-indicator measure of rationalized governance for the period 1985–2002. Overall, there is only a very modest growth in the measure worldwide, with the most substantial changes occurring in developing countries. Change is mostly on an indicator of investment openness. National change tends to reflect links with global society: expanded trade, the penetration of science, and embeddedness in world organizations play prominent roles. The rationalization of national governance, like other dimensions of modernization, is not simply or principally a consequence of endogenous national development or social complexity. Rather, it directly reflects trade and institutional linkages with wider rationalizing movements in the context of a neoliberal world society.

In this longitudinal nationwide population-based nested case-control study, the association between statin use and the risk of HCC was investigated in Asian populations. Herein, we noted a beneficial effect of statin use on the development of HCC in the general population and individuals at high risk of HCC (i.e. those with diabetes or liver cirrhosis).

Relationship on new statin use and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with incident type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), who might be at the risk of developing HCC, is uncertained. A nationwide population-based nested case-control study was conducted within the National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort 2002-2013 in Korea. Newly prescribed statin after newly diagnosed T2DM was defined as statin use. Controls were matched to case patients on age, sex, follow-up time, and the date of diabetes diagnosis at a five-to-one ratio. Odds ratios (ORs) for associations of statin use with HCC were calculated using conditional logistic regression. After at least a 5-year HCC-free period, there were 229 incident HCC cases and 1,145 matched controls from 47,738 patients with incident diabetes. Of these 229 incident HCC cases, 27 (11.8%) were statin users, whereas 378 (33.0%) were statin users among 1,145 controls. Statin use was associated with a reduced risk of HCC development (adjusted OR [AOR]= 0.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.22-0.60) after adjustment for chronic viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, previous cancer, aspirin use, insulin use, sulfonylurea use, metformin use, thiazolidinedione use, history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Charlson comorbidity score, household income level, and residential area. Risk reduction was accentuated with an increase of cumulative defined daily doses (cDDD) compared with non-users (AORs 0.53, 0.36, 0.32, and 0.26 in ≤60, 60-180, 181-365, and >365cDDD, respectively; P for trend <0.0001). The risk reduction was apparent in the presence of liver disease (AOR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.14-0.50), including heterogeneous groups of clinical diagnosis of liver disease, but not significant in the absence of liver disease (AOR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.32-1.29). Among patients with new onset T2DM, statin use before HCC diagnosis may have a beneficial inhibitory effect on HCC development in a dose-dependent manner, especially in individuals with liver disease.

Background and ObjectivesJoint National Committee guidelines attempt to vary treatment recommendations for patients based on considerations of their comorbidities. The aim of the present study is to estimate the age-standardized prevalence of common comorbidities among Korean hypertension patients.Subjects and MethodsWe analyzed the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2013. Among the 58423 participants, 30092 adults, aged ≥30 yrs who completed a health examination and interview survey, were selected. The survey procedures were used to estimate weighted prevalence and odds ratios for 8 comorbidities, including obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and thyroid disease.ResultsMost chronic conditions were more prevalent in adults with hypertension than in those without hypertension. Common comorbidities were obesity (60.1%), dyslipidemia (57.6%), and impaired fasting glucose (45.1%). Hypertensive patients with two or more comorbid diseases were 42.2% and those with three or more diseases were 17.7%. The age- and sex-specific prevalence of three or more comorbid diseases among male hypertension patients was significantly higher than those patients in the 30-59 (p<0.05) age group.ConclusionComorbidity is highly prevalent in Korean patients with hypertension.

There are only two longitudinal studies dealing with precarious employment and mental health in East Asia, the results of which are inconsistent with each other. We concluded that in East Asia precarious employment is associated with mental health problem.