Dienogest use and the risk of breast and gynecologic cancers: A nationwide population-based study.

Objective: To evaluate whether dienogest exposure is associated with the risk of breast, endometrial, or tubo-ovarian cancer in women with endometriosis.

Methods: In this nationwide retrospective cohort study (January 2012 to December 2023), we used the Korean National Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service database. Women aged 20-49 years with endometriosis who received dienogest for at least 6 months were compared with an active control group treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, with cohorts balanced by inverse probability of treatment weighting.

Associations between environmental chemical mixtures and anthropometric measures in Korean girls: a cross-sectional study.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between environmental chemicals and anthropometric indices using preliminary data from the Puberty and Environment in Adolescents Cohort Project. Random urine samples from 370 Korean girls aged 7-14 years were evaluated for 15 environmental phthalates, phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites, and three heavy metals using growth metrics. We calculated the body mass index (BMI) z-score, weight z-score, height z-score, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) based on the World Health Organization growth references.

Extreme ambient temperature and emergency healthcare service utilization due to substance use disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To synthesize the association between extreme ambient temperatures and the utilization of emergency healthcare services for substance use disorder (SUD). We performed a systematic literature review of original research published between 2000 and 2023 using five databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, WoS, and Scopus) for literature search, and assessed study quality and risk of bias. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the odds ratios (OR) for SUD-related emergency healthcare service utilization during periods of extremely high or low ambient temperatures.

Parents' employment and non-chromosomal congenital anomalies in Korea: a national population cohort study.

Objectives: We assessed the association between parents' employment status, including industrial classification, and non-chromosomal congenital anomalies in offspring.

Methods: We analyzed data from mothers who delivered live births between 2020 and 2022, linking their records with those of their neonates from the National Health Information Service (NHIS) database. Our analysis focused on common industrial classifications representing at least 6% of the total workforce.

Psychotropic Drug Use in Korean Patients With Osteoarthritis.

Background: There are few safe effective ways to relieve osteoarthritis (OA) pain; as a result, off-label psychotropic drug prescriptions have increased worldwide. This study examined the change in psychotropic drug prescriptions for patients with OA from 2011 to 2020 using the Korean National Health Insurance Service dataset.

Methods: The study population consisted of patients with hip or knee OA aged ≥ 65 years.

Impact of Potentially Inappropriate Medication on Disability and Mortality in Older Adults: Nationwide Population-Based Study in Korea.

Background: Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) increase the risk of adverse health outcomes in older adults. However, the long-term effects of PIMs, particularly considering frailty and polypharmacy, remain unclear.

Methods: We analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Service and the National Screening Program for Transitional Ages (NSPTA) in Korea, including individuals aged 66 who participated between 2015 and 2016.

Survey on Value Elements Provided by Artificial Intelligence and Their Eligibility for Insurance Coverage With an Emphasis on Patient-Centered Outcomes.

Objective: This study aims to explore the opinions on the insurance coverage of artificial intelligence (AI), as categorized based on the distinct value elements offered by AI, with a specific focus on patient-centered outcomes (PCOs). PCOs are distinguished from traditional clinical outcomes and focus on patient-reported experiences and values such as quality of life, functionality, well-being, physical or emotional status, and convenience.

Materials And Methods: We classified the value elements provided by AI into four dimensions: clinical outcomes, economic aspects, organizational aspects, and non-clinical PCOs.

The effects of hospice care on healthcare expenditure among cancer patients.

Purpose: It is necessary to estimate the hospice usage and hospice-related cost for entire cancer patients using nationwide cohort data to establish a suitable ethical and cultural infrastructure. This study aims to show the effects of hospital hospice care on healthcare expenditure among South Korean cancer patients.

Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort study using customized health information data provided by the National Health Insurance Service.

Association of polypharmacy with all-cause mortality and adverse events among elderly colorectal cancer survivors.

Background: The risk of inappropriate drug exposure in elderly colorectal cancer (CRC) survivors after the initial cancer treatment has not been well studied. This study investigated the association of polypharmacy (PP) with overall survival, hospitalization, and emergency room (ER) visits among older CRC survivors.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Korean National Health Insurance claims data follow-up from 2002 to 2017.

Increasing disparities in the proportions of active treatment and 5-year overall survival over time by age groups among older patients with gastric cancer in Korea.

Purpose: As older patients with gastric cancer increase in Korea, no consensus indicative of anti-cancer treatment exists for the oldest old (age 85+). We investigated potential disparities in the proportion of surgery-including active treatment and the degree of survival improvement over time by age groups, and whether heterogeneity exists in the protective effect of time period on overall survival (OS) by age at diagnosis clusters.

Materials And Methods: A nationwide cohort ( = 63,975) of older patients with gastric cancer (age at diagnosis 70+) in 2005-2012 were followed until the end of 2018.