Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Fatty Liver Disease and Mortality: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Background@#We investigated whether metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is associated with an elevated risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality using a large-scale health examination cohort. @*Methods@#A total of 394,835 subjects in the Kangbuk Samsung Health Study cohort were enrolled from 2002 to 2012. Participants were categorized by the presence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and MAFLD as follows: normal subjects; patients with both NAFLD and MAFLD; patients with NAFLD only; and patients with MAFLD only. Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the risk of mortality. @*Results@#During a median 5.7 years of follow-up, 20.69% was patients with both NAFLD and MAFLD, 1.51% was patients with NAFLD only, and 4.29% was patients with MAFLD only. All-cause and cardiovascular death was higher in patients with MAFLD than those without MAFLD (P<0.001, respectively). In patients with MAFLD only, the hazard ratio (HR) of all-cause and cardiovascular death was 1.35 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13 to 1.60) and 1.90 (95% CI, 1.26 to 2.88) after adjusting for age, which lost its statistical significance by multivariable adjustments. Compared to patients with less than two components of metabolic dysfunction, patients with more than two components of metabolic dysfunction were a higher risk of cardiovascular death (HR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.25 to 3.38) and only women with more than two components of metabolic dysfunction were a higher risk of all-cause death (HR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.03). @*Conclusion@#MAFLD criteria could identify a high-risk group for all-cause and cardiovascular death.

Risk Factors Related to Serious Adverse Drug Reactions Reported through Electronic Submission during Hospitalization in Elderly Patients / 가정의학회지

Background@#Many studies have assessed the risk factors for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in elderly patients. However, most of these studies have focused on risk factors for ADRs, not serious ADRs (s-ADRs). s-ADRs are commonly found in hospitalized patients. s-ADRs warrant imminent but thorough investigations, given their critical impact on patient health. Therefore, this retrospective study aimed to assess the associated risk factors for s-ADRs in elderly hospitalized patients. @*Methods@#In-patients aged >65 years having ADRs during hospitalization at a university hospital in Korea between 2010 and 2012 were included. Medical professionals spontaneously reported ADRs using an electronic submission system at the study hospital. Further, all descriptions of ADRs were characterized and categorized through the screening of electronic medical records. We compared the characteristics of patients having s-ADRs with those of patients not having s-ADRs. @*Results@#There were 353 cases of ADRs, 67 of which were s-ADRs. Patients taking more than eight concomitant drugs showed the highest odds ratio (OR, 11.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.42–42.03). The ratio of aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was also significantly related to s-ADRs (OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.33–5.81). The use of antibiotics (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.13–5.02) and antineoplastics (OR, 4.17; 95% CI, 1.09–15.94) were significant risk factors. @*Conclusion@#Our findings highlight the importance of polypharmacy. Liver function tests (AST/ALT ratio) must be monitored carefully within high-risk groups for ADRs.

A Prognostic Model to Facilitate Palliative Care Referral in Oncology Outpatients / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Purpose@#We aimed to develop a prognostic model to assist palliative care referral at least 3 months before death in advanced cancer patients treated at an outpatient medical oncology clinic. @*Materials and Methods@#In this prospective cohort study, a total of 200 patients were enrolled at a tertiary cancer center in South Korea. The major eligibility criterion was an expected survival of less than a year as estimated by their oncologists. We analyzed the influences of known prognostic factors along with chemotherapy status, mid-arm circumference, and triceps skinfold thickness on survival time. @*Results@#The mean age of the patients was 64.5 years, 36% were female, and the median survival time was 7.6 months. In the multivariate analysis, we found 6 significant factors related to poor survival: a poor Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (≥2), not undergoing chemotherapy, anorexia, a low lymphocyte level (<12%), a high lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level (≥300 IU/L), and a low mid-arm circumference (<23 cm). We developed a prognostic model (score, 0-8.0) to predict 3-month survival based on the multivariate analysis. Patients who scored ≥4.0 points had a short survival of less than 3 months (p<0.001). The discriminating ability of the prognostic model using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.88. @*Conclusion@#The prognostic model using ECOG performance status, chemotherapy status, anorexia, lymphocytes, LDH, and mid-arm circumference can predict 3-month survival in medical oncology outpatients. It can alert oncologists to refer patients to palliative care specialists before it is too late.

Characteristics Associated with Survival in Patients Receiving Continuous Deep Sedation in a Hospice Care Unit / 한국호스피스완화의료학회지

Continuous deep sedation (CDS) is an extreme form of palliative sedation to relieve refractory symptoms at the end of life. In this study, we shared our experiences with CDS and examined the clinical characteristics associated with survival in patients with terminal cancer who received CDS. We conducted a chart audit of 106 consecutive patients with terminal cancer who received CDS at a single hospice care unit between January 2014 and December 2016. Survival was defined as the first day of admission to the date of death. The associations between clinical characteristics and survival were presented as hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals using a Cox proportional hazard model. The mean age of participants was 65.2 years, and 33.0% (n=35) were women. Diazepam was the most commonly administered drug, and haloperidol or lorazepam were also used if needed. One sedative was enough for a majority of the patients. Stepwise multivariate analysis identified poor functioning, a high Palliative Prognostic Index score, hyperbilirubinemia, high serum ferritin levels, and a low number of sedatives as independent poor prognostic factors. Our experiences and findings are expected to be helpful for shared decision-making and further research on palliative sedation.

Effect of Vitamin D Deficiency on the Frequency of Headaches in Migraine

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The risk of vitamin D deficiency varies with the season. The frequency of vitamin D deficiency in migraine patients and its association with migraine are unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated first-visit migraine patients between January 2016 and May 2017, and investigated the demographics, season, migraine subtypes, frequency, severity, and impact of migraine, psychological and sleep variables, climate factors, and vitamin D levels. The nonfasting serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was measured to determine the vitamin D level, with deficiency of vitamin D defined as a concentration of < 20 ng/mL. RESULTS: In total, 157 patients with migraine aged 37.0±8.6 years (mean±standard deviation) were analyzed. Their serum level of vitamin D was 15.9±7.4 ng/mL. Vitamin D deficiency was present in 77.1% of the patients, and occurred more frequently in spring and winter than in summer and autumn (89.1%, 85.7%, 72.4%, and 61.7%, respectively; p=0.008). In multivariate Poisson regression analysis, monthly headache was 1.203 times (95% confidence interval=1.046–1.383, p=0.009) more frequent in patients with vitamin D deficiency than in those without deficiency after adjusting for demographics, season, migraine subtype, depression, anxiety, and sleep quality. These associations were consistently noted in subgroup analysis of episodic migraine (odds ratio=1.266, p=0.033) and chronic migraine (odds ratio=1.390, p=0.041). CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that a larger number of monthly days with headache was related to vitamin D deficiency among migraineurs. Future studies should attempt to confirm the causal relationship between vitamin D deficiency and migraine.

Prevalence of Malnutrition in Hospitalized Patients: a Multicenter Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is associated with many adverse clinical outcomes. The present study aimed to identify the prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized patients in Korea, evaluate the association between malnutrition and clinical outcomes, and ascertain the risk factors of malnutrition. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was performed with 300 patients recruited from among the patients admitted in 25 hospitals on January 6, 2014. Nutritional status was assessed by using the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). Demographic characteristics and underlying diseases were compared according to nutritional status. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors of malnutrition. Clinical outcomes such as rate of admission in intensive care units, length of hospital stay, and survival rate were evaluated. RESULTS: The prevalence of malnutrition in the hospitalized patients was 22.0%. Old age (≥ 70 years), admission for medical treatment or diagnostic work-up, and underlying pulmonary or oncological disease were associated with malnutrition. Old age and admission for medical treatment or diagnostic work-up were identified to be risk factors of malnutrition in the multivariate analysis. Patients with malnutrition had longer hospital stay (SGA A = 7.63 ± 6.03 days, B = 9.02 ± 9.96 days, and C = 12.18 ± 7.24 days, P = 0.018) and lower 90-day survival rate (SGA A = 97.9%, B = 90.7%, and C = 58.3%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Malnutrition was common in hospitalized patients, and resulted in longer hospitalization and associated lower survival rate. The rate of malnutrition tended to be higher when the patient was older than 70 years old or hospitalized for medical treatment or diagnostic work-up compared to elective surgery.

Validation of a Newly Developed Equation for Estimating Serum Apolipoprotein B: Associations with Cardiovascular Disease Surrogate Markers in Koreans

PURPOSE: Many clinical guidelines recommend apolipoprotein B (apoB) measurement, particularly in subjects with metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes. Recently, we developed a new equation to estimate serum apoB (apoBE). We validated the clinical relevance of apoBE and compared the performance of the equation with conventional lipid measurements and direct measurement of apoB. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study subjects were recruited from patients who visited the Health Screening Center at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital between January and December 2009 for routine medical examinations (n=78125). For analysis of coronary calcium score, we recruited study subjects from the same institution between January 2007 and December 2010 (n=16493). RESULTS: apoBE was significantly correlated with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive level {r=0.18 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.18–0.19]} in partial correlation analysis adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index. apoBE was associated with a Framingham risk score indicating more than moderate risk (10-year risk ≥10%), the presence of microalbuminuria, and the presence of coronary artery calcium in multivariate logistic regression analysis. These associations were comparable to those of directly-measured serum apoB [odds ratio per 1 SD 3.02 (2.75–3.27) vs. 2.70 (2.42–3.02) for a Framingham risk score indicating more than moderate risk, 1.31 (1.21–1.41) vs. 1.35 (1.25–1.45) for the presence of microalbuminuria, and 1.33 (1.26–1.41) vs. 1.31 (1.23–1.38) for the presence of coronary calcium score respectively]. These findings were also consistently observed in subgroup analysis for subjects with type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSION: The associations between cardiovascular surrogate markers and apoBE were comparable to those of directly-measured apoB.

Comparison of the Usefulness of the Updated Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA2) with the Original HOMA1 in the Prediction of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Koreans

BACKGROUND: The original homeostasis model assessment (HOMA1) and the updated HOMA model (HOMA2) have been used to evaluate insulin resistance (IR) and β-cell function, but little is known about the usefulness of HOMA2 for the prediction of diabetes in Koreans. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of HOMA2 as a predictor of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Koreans without diabetes. METHODS: The study population consisted of 104,694 Koreans enrolled at a health checkup program and followed up from 2001 to 2012. Participants were divided into a normal glucose tolerance (NGT) group and a pre-diabetes group according to fasting glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels. Anthropometric and laboratory data were measured at the baseline checkup, and HOMA values were calculated at the baseline and follow-up checkups. The hazard ratios (HRs) of the HOMA1 and HOMA2 values and the prevalence of diabetes at follow-up were evaluated using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model and Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: After adjusting for several diabetes risk factors, all of the HOMA values except 1/HOMA1-β and 1/HOMA2-β in the NGT group were significant predictors of the progression to diabetes. In the NGT group, there was no significant difference in HOMA1-IR (HR, 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 1.14) and HOMA2-IR (HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.19). However, in the pre-diabetes group, 1/HOMA2-β was a more powerful marker (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.26 to 1.31) than HOMA1-IR (HR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.28) or 1/HOMA1-β (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.16). In the non-diabetic group (NGT+pre-diabetes), 1/HOMA2-β was also a stronger predictor of diabetes (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.25 to 1.29) than HOMA1-IR (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.15) or 1/HOMA1-β (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.14). CONCLUSION: HOMA2 is more predictive than HOMA1 for the progression to diabetes in pre-diabetes or non-diabetic Koreans.

Factors Associated with Care Burden among Family Caregivers of Terminally Ill Cancer Patients / 한국호스피스완화의료학회지

PURPOSE: It is important to alleviate care burden for terminal cancer patients and their families. This study investigated the factors associated with care burden among family caregivers (FCs) of terminally ill cancer patients. METHODS: We analyzed data from 289 FCs of terminal cancer patients who were admitted to palliative care units of seven medical centers in Korea. Care burden was assessed using the Korean version of Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA) scale which comprises five domains. A multivariate logistic regression model with stepwise variable selection was used to identify factors associated with care burden. RESULTS: Diverse associating factors were identified in each CRA domain. Emotional factors had broad influence on care burden. FCs with emotional distress were more likely to experience changes to their daily routine (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 2.54; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.29~5.02), lack of family support (aOR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.04~4.97) and health issues (aOR, 5.44; 2.50~11.88). Family functionality clearly reflected a lack of support, and severe family dysfunction was linked to financial issues as well. FCs without religion or comorbid conditions felt more burdened. The caregiving duration and daily caregiving hours significantly predicted FCs' lifestyle changes and physical burden. FCs who were employed, had weak social support or could not visit frequently, had a low self-esteem. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that it is helpful to understand FCs' emotional status and family functions to assess their care burden. Thus, efforts are needed to lessen their financial burden through social support systems.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Related Factors in Patients at a Hospice / 한국호스피스완화의료학회지

PURPOSE: Although vitamin D deficiency is more commonly found in cancer patient than in non-cancer patients, there have been little data regarding the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in cancer patients at the very end of life. We examined vitamin D deficiency in terminally ill cancer patients and related factors. METHODS: This study was based on a retrospective chart review of 133 patients in a hospice ward. We collected data regarding age, sex, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level, cancer type, physical performance, current medications and various laboratory findings. We investigated factors related to serum vitamin D levels after multivariate adjustment for potential confounders. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D<20 ng/mL was considered deficient and <10 ng/mL severely deficient. RESULTS: Ninety-five percent of the patients were serum vitamin D deficient. Severe vitamin D deficiency was more common in male patients, non-lung cancer patients, H2 blocker users and non-anticonvulsant users. Elevated levels of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were also associated with low serum vitamin D levels. Multiple regression analysis showed that severe vitamin D deficiency was associated with male gender (aOR 3.82, 95% CI: 1.50~9.72, P=0.005), H2 blocker users (aOR 3.94, 95% CI: 1.61~9.65, P=0.003) and elevated serum ALT levels (aOR 4.52, 95% CI: 1.35~15.19, P=0.015). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent among terminally ill cancer patients. Severe vitamin D deficiency was more common in male patients, H2 blocker users, and patients with elevated ALT levels.

Nutritional Status of Korean Hospitalized Patients: A Multi-Center Preliminary Survey

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized patients aged 18 years old or older at the time of admission in Korea. METHODS: This multi-center, preliminary survey included patients over 18 years old who were admitted on a given day from six hospitals in Korea. Nutritional status was assessed using Subjective Global Assessment tool. Data collected included hospital characteristics, patient characteristics, nutrition screening, and nutrition assessment. RESULTS: Among the 99 patients recruited (47 males, 47.5%), 18 (18.2%) and 2 (2.0%) patients were moderately malnourished and severely malnourished, respectively. The mean age of the malnourished group was older than that of the well-nourished group (49.7+/-17.1 vs. 60.5+/-13.6 years old, P-value=0.010). Patients admitted for medical treatment were more malnourished than those admitted for surgical treatment. CONCLUSION: Results of the multi-center preliminary survey showed 20.2% prevalence of malnutrition on admission. A national survey was piloted and will be followed by full implementation.

Factors Related to Serum Vitamin C Level in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients / 한국호스피스완화의료학회지

PURPOSE: Serum vitamin C is one of the indicators for antioxidant levels in the body and it is lower in cancer patients compared with the healthy population. However, there have been few studies on the levels of serum vitamin C in terminally ill cancer patients and related factors. METHODS: We followed 65 terminal cancer patients who were hospitalized in two palliative care units. We collected data of age, sex, cancer type, functional status, clinical symptoms, history of cancer therapy, and various laboratory findings including serum vitamin C level. Patients were categorized into two groups according to the quartile of serum vitamin C level (Q1-3 vs. Q4), which were compared each other. Stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors related to serum vitamin C levels. RESULTS: The mean serum vitamin C level was 0.44 microg/mL, and all patients fell into the category of vitamin C deficiency. Univariate analysis showed that The serum vitamin C level was lower in non-lung cancer patients (P=0.041) and febrile patients (P=0.034). Multivariate analysis adjusted for potential confounders such as lung cancer, fever, dysphagia, dyspnea, C reactive protein, and history of chemotherapy demonstrated that odds for low serum vitamin C level was 3.7 for patients receiving chemotherapy (P=0.046) and 7.22 for febrile patients (P=0.02). CONCLUSION: Vitamin C deficiency was very severe in terminally ill cancer patients, and it was associated with history of chemotherapy and fever.

Association between Spiritual Well-Being and Pain, Anxiety and Depression in Terminal Cancer Patients: A Pilot Study / 한국호스피스완화의료학회지

PURPOSE: Spirituality is an important domain and is related with physical and psychological symptoms in terminal cancer patient. The aim of this study is to examine how patients' spirituality is associated with their physical and psychological symptoms as it has been explored by few studies. METHODS: In this cross sectional study, 50 patients in the palliative ward of a tertiary hospital were interviewed. Spiritual well-being, depression, anxiety and pain is measured by Functional Assessment of Chronic-Illness Therapy-Spirituality (FACIT-Sp), hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and the Korean version of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-K). The correlations between patients' spiritual well-being and anxiety, depression and pain were analysed. The association between spiritual well-being and age, gender, palliative performance scale (PPS), religion, mean pain intensity, anxiety, depression were assessed by univariate and multivariate regression analyses. RESULTS: Spiritual well-being was negatively correlated with the mean pain intensity (r=-0.283, P<0.05), anxiety (r=-0.613, P<0.05) and depression (r=-0.526, P<0.05). In multivariate regression analysis, spiritual well-being showed negative association with anxiety (OR=-1.03, 95% CI=-1.657~-0.403, P=0.002) and positive association with the existence of religion (OR=9.193, 95% CI=4.158~14.229, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, patients' anxiety and existence of religion were significantly associated with spiritual well-being after adjusting age, gender, PPS, mean pain intensity, depression. Prospective studies are warranted.

Analysis of Research Papers Published by the Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care (The First Issue~2012) / 한국호스피스완화의료학회지

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a direction for future studies based on the analysis of the articles published in the Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care from 1998 to 2012. A total of 240 articles (51 reviews, 189 original) were examined in three five-year groups. Categories of analysis include authors' background (profession, region) and general characteristics and qualitative aspects of the original paper (participants, topic, study design, data analysis, ethical consideration, multidisciplinary approach, research funds and sample size estimation). While the journal publishes more of articles than before, it is mainly due to the increase in the number of review articles, not original articles. As for study topics, healthcare industry and physical symptoms were most frequently studied. The disparity in authors' regional background is fading, and more articles are published by nurses than before. Moreover, more studies are funded while fewer papers tend to adopt a multidisciplinary approach or focus on care givers. Also, in terms of a study design, the number of experimental and methodological studies has slightly increased. In the qualitative aspect, studies considered ethical issues and collected participation consent, and fewer studies reported an estimated sample size. In data analysis, post-adjustment comparison decreased, and new analytical methods are increasingly used. Our results indicate the need to conduct research with more extensive scientific data in various fields of hospice and palliative care.

Less Healthy Dietary Pattern is Associated with Smoking in Korean Men According to Nationally Representative Data

The relationship between smoking and nutrient intake has been widely investigated in several countries. However, Korea presents a population with a smoking rate of approximately 50% and dietary consumption of unique foods. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the association of dietary patterns with smoking in Korean men using a nationally representative sample. The study subjects were comprised of 4,851 Korean men over 19 yr of age who participated in the fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Dietary data were assessed by the 24-hr recall method. The smoking group comprised 2,136 men (46.6%). Five dietary patterns were derived using factor analysis: 'sugar & fat', 'vegetables & seafood', 'meat & drinks', 'grains & eggs', and 'potatoes, fruits and dairy products.' Current smokers showed a more significant 'sugar & fat' pattern (P = 0.001) while significantly less of the 'vegetables & seafood' and 'potatoes, fruits and dairy products' patterns (P = 0.011, P < 0.001, respectively). As found in similar results from Western studies, Korean male smokers showed less healthy dietary patterns than nonsmokers. Thus, the result of this study underlines the need for health professionals to also provide advice on dietary patterns when counseling patients on smoking cessation.

Optimal Range of Triglyceride Values to Estimate Serum Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Concentration in Korean Adults: the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009

The aims of this study were to investigate the validity of Friedewald's formula and to propose a range of triglyceride values over which the formula can be used without significant error. This was a cross-sectional analysis of 1,929 subjects (946 males and 983 females) aged 20 yr and older using data of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2009. Estimated total number was considered to be 10,633,655 (5,846,384 males and 4,787,271 females). Calculated and directly-measured low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) values were highly correlated (r = 0.96); however, significant differences were observed between the directly-measured and calculated LDL-C concentrations. Subjects in the underestimated group (10.5%) had higher dysmetabolic profiles than those in the overestimated group (11.4%). Although serum triglyceride level showed the greatest independent association with differences between the calculated and directly-measured LDL-C concentrations, no statistically significant differences were noted when triglyceride concentration was between 36 and 298 mg/dL (93.2%). In conclusion, Friedewald's formula accurately estimates directly-measured serum LDL-C concentration in Korean adults. However, the formula can be applied to subjects with serum triglyceride concentrations from 36 to 298 mg/dL without significant error.

Association between Metabolic Components and Subclinical Atherosclerosis in Korean Adults / 가정의학회지

BACKGROUND: Many studies have attempted to develop relatively simple and easy noninvasive measurements of atherosclerosis (NIMA), and each NIMA assesses different atherosclerotic properties. We, therefore, investigated the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) components and different NIMAs. METHODS: This study included 1,132 Korean subjects over 20 years of age who had visited a Health Promotion Center in Korea. Carotid injury (increased carotid intima-media thickness or plaques) was evaluated by ultrasonography and arterial stiffness by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity. The MetS components were assessed according to the Asian criteria of the American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. RESULTS: Both arterial stiffness and carotid injury gradually deteriorated with increase in the number of MetS components. Arterial stiffness and carotid injury were associated with different MetS components, each of which had varying impact. After adjustment for all possible confounders such as age, sex, and lifestyle, elevated blood pressure (BP) was found to have the strongest association with arterial stiffness, whereas central obesity, impaired fasting plasma glucose, and elevated BP had comparable connection with carotid atherosclerosis. CONCLUSION: Individual MetS components were related with subclinical atherosclerosis in different ways. Elevated BP showed the strongest association with arterial stiffness, while central obesity, impaired fasting plasma glucose, and elevated BP showed good correlation with carotid atherosclerosis.

A Review on Palliative Care Research Outcomes: Focus on the Quality of Life / 한국호스피스완화의료학회지

Over the past several decades, the assessment of quality of life (QoL) has increasingly played a prominent role in both clinical practice and research regardless of the medical field. Palliative care is defined as an approach that improves the QoL of patients and their families and optimizing their QoL is the primary goal of palliative care. However, it is difficult to compare related studies due to several obstacles such as discrepancies in definitions for palliative medicine, lack of consensus on the central domains and diverse instruments. In this paper, we examined the current status of and challenges in QoL studies and discussed possible solutions. We are convinced this review will be helpful for further palliative care studies.

The Changes of Confidence, Accuracy and Knowledge of Medical Professionals after the Education for Survival Predictionin Terminally Ill Cancer Patients / 한국호스피스완화의료학회지

PURPOSE: In this study, we evaluated the effects of training for survival prediction of terminally ill patients in terms of medical professionals' confidence, accuracy and knowledge of survival prediction. METHODS: Twenty-nine participants completed a self-administered questionnaire where they scored their confidence, accuracy and knowledge of survival prediction before and after the training session. The training was provided in July 2009 at a university hospital located in Gyeonggi province, Republic of Korea. The participants were instructed by a professor of family medicine specialized in hospice palliative medicine to predict survival of a case using the palliative prognostic score and objective prognostic score. The training was provided in the form of a PowerPoint presentation for 40 minutes. RESULTS: Participants' confidence in survival prediction significantly increased from 4.00+/-1.73 (mean+/-SD) (0~10, visual analogue scale) to 5.83+/-1.71 after the training (P<0.001). Before training, participant's level of confidence significantly correlated with their age (P=0.04). The training significantly improved the correlation between the confidence level and the number of terminal cancer patients whom they have experienced (P=0.005 before training, P=0.017 after training). Participant's accuracy in survival prediction also significantly improved from 14 of 29 (48%) to 27 of 29 (93.1%) (P<0.001). The change in knowledge of survival prediction was too small to be statistically analyzed. CONCLUSION: After training, the confidence and accuracy scores significantly improved. Further study with a greater number of participants is needed to generalize this finding.

Factors Related to Substantial Pain in Terminally Ill Cancer Patients / 한국호스피스완화의료학회지

PURPOSE: Pain is the most common and influential symptom in cancer patients. Few studies concerning pain intensity in the terminally ill cancer patients have been done. This study aimed to identify factors related with more than moderate pain. METHODS: This study used secondary data of 162 terminal cancer inpatients at the palliative ward of six training hospitals in Korea. Physician-assessed pain assessment was by 10 point numeric rating scale. Substantial pain was defined more than moderate intensity by the Korean National Guideline for cancer pain. The Korean version of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory was self-administered to assess symptoms. Survival prediction was estimated by the attending physicians at the time of admission. RESULTS: Less than six weeks of predicted survival and more than numeric rating of six for worst drowsiness in the previous 24 h were significantly related to substantial pain (P=0.012 and P=0.046, respectively). The dose of opioid analgesics was positively related to substantial pain (P=0.004). CONCLUSION: Factors positively related to substantial pain were less than six weeks of predicted survival and considerable drowsiness. Careful monitoring and active preparation for pain are required in terminal cancer patients having those factors.