Daejeon University

Evogliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor with a glucose-dependent mechanism of action, is widely used as a monotherapy or in combination with other agents. However, observational studies in routine clinical settings remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of evogliptin in combination with other antidiabetic agents frequently used in clinical practice. This study was conducted in 51 hospitals in South Korea. We evaluated evogliptin in three groups: the evogliptin add-on, evogliptin-switching, and initial combination groups. The primary endpoint was the change in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels (%) from baseline to 12 weeks. The change in HbA1c (%) levels from baseline to 24 weeks was a secondary endpoint in the extended study. Proportions of patients achieving the HbA1c target, changes in fasting and postprandial glucose levels, and safety endpoints were also evaluated. Between-group comparisons were performed between the add-on and initial combination groups. In the 1596 patients of the effectiveness set, the mean changes in HbA1c levels at 12 weeks were -0.8% ± 1.2%, -0.3% ± 0.8% and -1.9% ± 1.4% for the evogliptin add-on, evogliptin-switching and initial combination groups, respectively. Among the 1920 patients in the safety set, 23 experienced adverse drug reactions, and there was no significant difference among the three groups. Evogliptin reduces blood glucose levels and is well-tolerated when used as an add-on, as a switch from other dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors, or as part of an initial combination therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that has increasingly been recognized for its potential systemic associations. While several studies have suggested a link between rosacea and psychiatric conditions, evidence on its association with depression remains limited, particularly in Asian populations. This study aimed to identify whether patients with rosacea are at an increased risk of developing depression and to provide evidence supporting the need for integrated dermatological and psychiatric care. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort, which included patients with newly diagnosed rosacea (n = 3052) and age-, sex-, and index year-matched reference populations without rosacea (n = 30,520) between 2003 and 2017. The primary outcome was subsequent depression. Multivariable Cox regression was performed to evaluate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for subsequent depression. Of the 33,572 individuals in the study population, 4057 developed depression during the study period, including 485 of the 3,052 patients with rosacea (47.2% women; mean [SD] age, 58.5 [9.1] years). Compared with the control group without rosacea, patients with rosacea displayed an increased risk for depression (aHR, 1.34 [95% CI 1.22–1.48]; P < 0.001). This tendency remained consistent across subgroup analyses, propensity score matching, and sensitivity analyses regarding washout periods. These findings suggest that the potential psychological impact of rosacea warrants consideration. While further research is needed to establish causal pathways, our results highlight the potential value of a more integrated approach to better address the overall well-being of patients with rosacea.

Objective The aim of this study is to assess the predictive and prognostic value of p16 in recurrent/metastatic HNSCC patients treated with molecular targeted agents (MTAs) or immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Study design The TRIUMPH trial (NCT03292250) was a multi-arm phase II umbrella trial using next-generation sequencing for patients with HNSCC. Patients were assigned to specific treatment arms including PIK3CA, EGFR/HER2, FGFR, CDK4/6 inhibitors, and ICI based on their genomic profiles. We performed post hoc analysis using 86 patients who had available p16 immunohistochemistry results. ORR, PFS, and OS were analyzed by p16 positivity. Results The p16 positivity rate was 33.7%. ORR was 20.7% for p16 (+) compared to 8.8% for p16 (–) patients (P = 0.072). Median PFS was 3.8 months for p16 (+) and 1.8 months for p16 (–) (P = 0.030). Median OS was 12.9 months for p16 (+) and 6.2 months for p16 (–) (P = 0.100). Conclusion Patients with p16 (+) showed longer PFS and OS compared to p16 (–) patients. This suggests that p16 has prognostic and predictive values in HNSCC patients who are treated with MTAs or ICIs.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVESArtificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) consumption has been increasing globally, including Korea, but detailed data on the intake levels and consumers’ characteristics are limited. This study examined sociodemographic, lifestyles, and dietary characteristics among ASBs consumers in Korea.SUBJECTS/METHODSThree hundred and twenty adults (≥ 18 yrs) who reported consuming ASBs in the 2021–2023 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were selected. Based on the 24-h dietary recall data, ASBs were classified using food codes and names, and further categorized according to the product name. The daily ASBs consumption (g/day) was calculated for each participant, and the participants were divided into 2 groups based on the median value (372.8 g/day). The general characteristics, lifestyles, and dietary characteristics were compared between the 2 consumption groups.RESULTSThe average daily ASBs consumption was 432.5 g (SD = 283.2) for men and 361.4 g (SD = 265.4) for women. ASBs consumption was 424.6 g (SD = 259.5) for individuals aged 18–29 yrs, 400.2 g (SD = 320.0) for those aged 30–39 yrs, and 360.5 g (SD = 249.3) for those aged ≥ 40 yrs. ASBs consumption was higher among overweight/obese individuals (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 23 kg/m2) (427.2 g, SD = 296.3) compared to non-overweight/obese individuals (361.0 g, SD = 241.8). The group with higher ASBs consumption was younger (P < 0.001), had a higher proportion of men (P = 0.013), and had a higher BMI (P = 0.007). The higher consumption group had a greater proportion of individuals attempting to lose or maintain weight (P = 0.016), higher energy intake (P = 0.032), lower frequency of fruits consumption (P = 0.005), and a higher frequency of dinner consumption (P = 0.034).CONCLUSIONThese findings may serve as baseline data for future research and programs related to ASBs consumption.

In this study, we evaluated the effects of Lactobacillus gasseri BNR17 supplementation on muscle function, muscle mass, and fat mass in older adults (Average age: 69.1; 23 men and 23 women).A total of 46 participants were administered L. gasseri BNR17 (1 10 10 colonyforming unit/day) once daily for 8 weeks.The following parameters were assessed and compared with baseline values.The total Short Physical Performance Battery score, which consists of standing balance, walking speed, and repeated chair stand tests, increased significantly after supplementation.Handgrip strength also increased, although the change was not statistically significant.In addition, muscle mass-related parameters, including lean body mass, soft lean mass, and leg muscle mass, showed significant increases.At the same time, adiposity-related parameters, including body weight, body fat mass, body mass index, and obesity level, were significantly reduced.These findings suggest that supplementation with the probiotic BNR17 improves physical function and increases muscle mass while reducing body fat and visceral fat in older adults.Therefore, this probiotic may provide potential benefits in the management of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in the elderly by preserving muscle mass and reducing fat mass during weight loss.

ABSTRACTIndustrialization, air pollution, and respiratory infections have highlighted the importance of maintaining respiratory health. Ecklonia cava Kjellman (EC) has anti‐inflammatory, antioxidative, and anti‐allergic effects and therapeutic potential for respiratory symptoms. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of Ecklonia cava Kjellman extract complex (EEC), composed of EC and Chrysanthemum indicum Linnaeus (C. indicum) extract, in respiratory health. A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, multicenter clinical trial was conducted. Participants (n = 106) were randomly allocated to the EEC and placebo groups at a 1:1 ratio and administered EEC or placebo twice daily for 12 weeks, with four visits (screening and weeks 0, 6, and 12). Breathlessness, cough, and sputum scale (BCSS), pulmonary function test (forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in 1 s (FEV1), and FEV1/FVC), St. George's respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ), visual analogue scale (VAS), and modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale (mMRC) were assessed. BCSS (total, breathlessness, and sputum scores), FEV1, and VAS (cough and sputum) were significantly improved in the EEC group compared with the placebo group. No significant differences in SGRQ and mMRC between the groups. Safety assessments showed no severe adverse events or clinically significant changes. Given the established pharmacological mechanisms of EC, including its anti‐inflammatory, antioxidative, anti‐allergic, and antimicrobial effects, the results of this study support the potential of EEC for relieving respiratory symptoms and improving respiratory health.

This case report highlights the effectiveness of Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study-guided balloon dilation in managing dysphagia resulting from subclinical recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) neuropathy after a non-lethal hanging attempt.A 71-year-old male presented with dysphagia following an attempted hanging.The initial assessments revealed neck pain, soft tissue edema, and a fractured hyoid bone.Despite stable respiratory findings, the patient had significant swallowing difficulties.The patient underwent a VFSS that revealed an upper esophageal sphincter (UES) dysfunction linked to bilateral RLN neuropathy.After conventional dysphagia therapy, VFSS-guided balloon dilation was performed on day 46 after a tracheostomy.Following the procedure, significant improvement in swallowing function was noted, with the Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) score decreasing from 5 to 2. The intervention was well-tolerated, with no significant adverse events reported.VFSS-guided balloon dilation is a safe and effective treatment option for dysphagia caused by an impaired UES opening resulting from subclinical RLN neuropathy after hanging.Further studies with larger populations will be needed to validate these findings and refine the treatment protocols.(

Background: As a multidisciplinary field, dental hygiene has seen the emergence of novel research topics that have reshaped its scholarly landscape during the pandemic.This study investigated the evolution of research themes and knowledge structures in the Journal of Dental Hygiene Science (JDHS) by comparing the pre-COVID-19 (20152019) and post-COVID-19 (20202024) periods.Methods: A total of 499 articles (319 from 20152019 and 180 from 20202024) published in JDHS were analyzed.Using NetMiner 5.0, meaningful keywords were extracted from titles, abstracts, and author keywords.Term frequency, term frequency-inverse document frequency, degree centrality, and betweenness centrality were examined.Topic modeling was conducted using the Latent Dirichlet Allocation algorithm.Results: During 20152019, "student," "stress," "health," and "tooth" showed high degree centrality, with eight topics identified: education and clinical practice satisfaction, oral health behaviors, job stress, teeth and oral tissues, professional identity, core competencies, preventive research, and factor analysis.In 20202024, "tooth," "work," and "surface" demonstrated the highest degree centrality, with five reconfigured topics: dental hygienist competencies, infection control, biofilm and material-related experimental research, and oral health behaviors.Notably, "COVID-19," "infection," "control," and "hand hygiene" emerged as an independent topic cluster.Across both periods, "health" and "dental hygienist" maintained high betweenness centrality, serving as bridging concepts across research domains.Conclusion: Over the past decade, JDHS research has shifted from an education-and psychology-oriented focus to clinical and experimental studies, with infection control emerging as an independent research theme after COVID-19.However, internationally prominent topics such as teledentistry and digital dentistry remain underrepresented, suggesting the need for expanded research in these emerging areas.This study provides quantitative evidence of structural changes in Korean dental hygiene research, offering insights to guide future research directions and journal development strategies.

Background: This scoping review examined research on artificial intelligence (AI) published in Korean academic journals in the fields of dental hygiene and dentistry.The Context-Concept-Maturity framework was applied to compare research trends and identify future directions.Methods: Following the Arksey and O'Malley framework, with extensions by Levac et al., the review adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines.Domestic academic journals published between January 1, 2020, and September 30, 2025, were searched in KISS, RISS, ScienceON, and DBpia.Studies were screened, extracted, and coded according to population, concept, and context criteria, yielding 70 eligible articles (26 in dental hygiene and 44 in dentistry).Results: In dental hygiene, most research focused on education (38.5%) and community/public oral health (38.5%), while clinical applications were limited (7.7%).Major conceptual domains included education/training tools (42.3%), workflow/automation (38.5%), prediction (15.4%), and classification (3.8%).Dentistry studies were predominantly clinically oriented and imagingbased, emphasizing classification, automation, and segmentation.Maturity analysis indicated that dentistry primarily occupied Stage 2 (application; 84.1%), whereas dental hygiene showed a dual distribution across Stage 1 (exploration; 46.2%) and Stage 2 (application; 46.2%), with limited Stage 3 (integration; 7.7%) studies.Conclusion: AI research in Korea exhibits divergent developmental trajectories.Dental hygiene research emphasizes education, prevention, and public oral health, combining exploratory and applied approaches, while dentistry demonstrates greater clinical integration and application-level maturity.Advancing AI maturity in dental hygiene will require expansion of clinical data-driven studies, incorporation of AI and data literacy into curricula, standardized integration of unstructured and clinical data, multicenter long-term validation, and the development of ethical and performance governance frameworks.