Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Dec 2023
Blood Concentrations of Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury Are Associated With Alcohol-Related Liver Disease.
An association between environmental pollutants and alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) has not been determined until now. The objectives of this study were to examine the association of the pollutants with ALD, and whether the pollutants together increased the risk of ALD. ⋯ Blood levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury were significantly associated not only with the risk of ALD but also with ALD FIB. Cadmium and lead have synergistic effects that increase the risk of ALD.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Dec 2023
Factors Related to Suicidal Ideation by Gender and Age Group in Korean Adults.
According to the results of the age-standardized suicide rate (suicide deaths per 100,000 population) published by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries from 2003 to 2019, the suicide rate in Korea is ranked first almost every year, so it should be managed at the national level. To reduce the suicide rate, many scholars are studying suicide. The suicidal process begins with suicidal ideation, progresses through suicide attempts, and ends with suicide. Among them, the frequency of suicidal thoughts was found to be highly correlated with suicide plans and attempts, and it is said that 60% of those who change from suicidal ideation to attempts appear within one year. Therefore, research related to suicidal ideation to lower the suicide rate will contribute to preventing suicide at an early stage. ⋯ In the results of this study, it can be seen that a combination of factors such as a person's personality traits, stress or coping ability to various events, social support, and mental or physical limitations influence suicidal behavior. Suicidal ideation is not simply affected by a single factor but may be influenced by multiple factors.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Dec 2023
Clinical and Laboratory Characteristics of Kawasaki Disease and COVID-19-Related Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children.
Geographical and racial factors constitute important distinctions between Kawasaki disease (KD) and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), but no study has been conducted in Vietnam. Forty-one children with KD from January 2018 to July 2020 and 42 with KD/MIS-C from August 2020 to December 2022 were included in this study. Of the patients, 52.3% were aged between 12 and 35 months. ⋯ The prevalence of diffuse skin rash, hand and foot edema or erythema and gastrointestinal signs was significantly higher in patients hospitalized with KD/MIS-C. There was no significant difference in laboratory findings between the two groups. Coronary artery dilation was more frequently observed in patients with KD/MIS-C compared to those with KD (40.5% vs. 14.6%, P = 0.009).
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Dec 2023
Multicenter StudyHepatitis C Virus Seroprevalence in Persons Who Inject Drugs in Korea, 2012-2022: A Multicenter, Retrospective Study.
Limited data are available on hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in persons who inject drugs (PWID) in South Korea. The present study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of HCV antibodies, risk factors for HCV seropositivity, and HCV treatment status in PWID between January 2012 and May 2022. ⋯ The HCV seroprevalence in PWID was 39.7% with a very low treatment rate, which prompts active measures to test and treat PWID for HCV infection in South Korea.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Dec 2023
Comparison of Office Blood Pressure, Automated Unattended Office Blood Pressure, Home Blood Pressure, and 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurements.
Although previous studies have reported differences of blood pressure (BP) according to BP measurement methods, studies in Korean population were scarce. This study aimed to compare BP differences according to different BP measurement methods and assess hypertension phenotype. ⋯ This study showed a large disparity between office BP and out-of-office BP which became more pronounced when office BP by auscultation increased, suggesting that various BP measurement methods should be used to more accurately assess BP status.