Advancing holistic health strategies for post-pandemic resilience Jonathan James O. Canete Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(2): 122. CrossRef
Long coronavirus disease (COVID), also known as the post-acute sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (PASC), is a significant concern since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it still manifests in individuals with persistent symptoms and complications beyond the acute phase of infection. Defining this disease is challenging, as it manifests as a spectrum of symptoms varying in severity among individuals who have previously tested positive for COVID-19. Long COVID is more prevalent in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and presents in various ways, ranging from pulmonary to extrapulmonary symptoms. This literature review examines the current body of research on long COVID with a focus on its effects on the cardiovascular, hematological, respiratory, renal, and neurological systems with systematically analyzed, peer-reviewed articles retrieved from the PubMed database. There have been several proposed pathophysiological mechanisms by which severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 affects the aforementioned organ systems; however, research on the definite mechanisms is lacking, especially when considering the management of long COVID in the perioperative setting. The impact of post-COVID sequelae necessitates individualized management strategies tailored to each symptomatic profile, particularly in patients with comorbidities. The COVID-19 pandemic affected millions of people and had a profound impact on those who developed PASC, lowering their quality of life and increasing potential surgical risks. However, there is still uncertainty regarding the specific risk factors for long COVID and who is most susceptible to it. Further research is required to fill these gaps and explore potential avenues for preventing PASC.
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Reflecting on progress and challenges: the Korean Journal of Family Medicine in 2024 Seung-Won Oh Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(2): 55. CrossRef
Comprehensive Health Strategies for the Post-pandemic Era: Integrating Physical Health, Psychological Resilience, Lifestyle Choices, and Occupational Well-being Su Hwan Cho Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2024; 45(6): 303. CrossRef
Background Despite the increasing prevalence of anxiety disorders in Korea, there have been no nationwide studies on the association between tobacco status and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Furthermore, despite the increasing number of people using noncombustible nicotine or tobacco products (NNTPs), the association between NNTP use and GAD remains unclear. Therefore, this study investigated the association between tobacco use and GAD.
Methods This nationwide study used data from the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2021) and included 5,454 adults aged ≥19 years who self-reported on the tobacco use and mental health sections. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the odds ratios (ORs) of GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 score ≥10) according to tobacco status among Korean adults. The severity of anxiety was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 scale.
Results Compared to never tobacco users, the ORs of GAD for combustible cigarette smokers and NNTP users were 2.74 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.66–4.50) and 2.11 (95% CI, 1.16–3.83), respectively. The OR of GAD for former tobacco users was 1.63 (95% CI, 0.98–2.72).
Conclusion Tobacco use (combustible cigarettes and NNTP) was positively associated with GAD. However, in former tobacco users, there was no significant association with GAD when compared with never tobacco users. Given the OR of GAD among tobacco users, it is crucial to pay attention to screening for GAD and implement appropriate early interventions.
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Comprehensive Health Strategies for the Post-pandemic Era: Integrating Physical Health, Psychological Resilience, Lifestyle Choices, and Occupational Well-being Su Hwan Cho Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2024; 45(6): 303. CrossRef
Background Studies have shown that incident albuminuria is associated with insulin resistance (IR); however, an IR marker that best predicts the prevalence of albuminuria has not yet been established. This study explored the association between IR and incident albuminuria using various IR indices, including the homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA-IR), metabolic score for IR (METS-IR), and triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, and compared their predictive abilities for the prevalence of albuminuria.
Methods A total of 4,982 Korean adults from the 2019 Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey were analyzed. The odds of albuminuria were determined using the quartiles of the IR indices. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to calculate the area under the ROC curve and predictability. The cutoff values for albuminuria detection were also computed.
Results An increase in the quartiles of all three IR indices was associated with incident albuminuria, even after full adjustment for covariates (HOMA-IR: odds ratio [OR], 1.906; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.311–2.772; P=0.006; METS-IR: OR, 2.236; 95% CI, 1.353–3.694; P=0.002; TyG index: OR, 1.757; 95% CI, 1.213–2.544; P=0.003). The area under the ROC curve for incident albuminuria based on the HOMA-IR, METS-IR, and TyG indices was 0.594 (95% CI, 0.568–0.619), 0.633 (95% CI, 0.607–0.659), and 0.631 (95% CI, 0.606–0.656), respectively. The optimal cutoff values for predicting albuminuria were 2.38, 35.38, and 8.72 for the HOMA-IR, METS-IR, and TyG indices, respectively.
Conclusion The METS-IR and TyG indices outperformed HOMA-IR in predicting incident albuminuria.
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The U-shape relationship between insulin resistance-related indexes and chronic kidney disease: a retrospective cohort study from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2016 Ruihua Shen, Ling Lin, Zexuan Bin, Xi Qiao Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Background Chronic stress is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. This study aimed to assess whether better coping with stress, as assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), is associated with slower cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults.
Methods This study used 2018/2019 data and 2-year follow-up data from the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort Study. Of the 3,014 total participants, we included 1,826 participants (mean age, 77.6±3.7 years, 51.9% female) who completed BRS and Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Battery and the Korean version of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB).
Results Higher BRS score at baseline was associated with a lesser decline in the Mini-Mental State Examination score over 2 years after adjusting for age, sex, years of education, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, and depression (B, 0.175; 95% confidence interval, 0.025–0.325) for 2 years, which represents global cognitive function. Other cognitive function measurements (Word List Memory, Word List Recall, Word List Recognition, Digit Span, Trail Making Test-A, and FAB) did not change significantly with the BRS score at baseline.
Conclusion These findings suggest that better stress-coping ability, meaning faster termination of the stress response, may limit the decline in cognitive function.
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The Association between Frailty, Quality of Life and Resilience in Community-dwelling Retirement Village Residents Katherine Bloomfield, Zhenqiang Wu, Annie Tatton, Cheryl Calvert, Joanna Hikaka, Michal Boyd, Dale Bramley, Martin J. Connolly Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.2024; 25(11): 105256. CrossRef
Comprehensive Health Strategies for the Post-pandemic Era: Integrating Physical Health, Psychological Resilience, Lifestyle Choices, and Occupational Well-being Su Hwan Cho Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2024; 45(6): 303. CrossRef
Background Sickness presenteeism (SP) refers to the phenomenon where employees attend work while sick, a decision that impacts both their physical and mental well-being and can lead to burnout. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of and factors influencing SP among Thai and foreign teachers following the end of the coronavirus disease 2019 public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
Methods A sample of 400 individuals was analyzed using chi-square tests and logistic regression to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
Results Post-PHEIC, a significant proportion of teachers (51.9%) perceived an increase in their workload, and 62.1% reported having taken health-related leave of absence. The prevalence of SP was high (35.0%). Factors significantly associated with SP (P<0.05) included being younger than 37 years (OR, 1.825; 95% CI, 1.108–3.006), facing monthly financial challenges (OR, 1.627; 95% CI, 1.028–2.575), doing school-related work on holidays (OR, 1.920; 95% CI, 1.180–3.122), and experiencing sleep disturbances owing to work-related stress (OR, 1.910; 95% CI, 1.203– 3.033). No discernible difference existed in SP rates between Thai and foreign teachers.
Conclusion As a course of action, we recommend the provision of appropriate financial planning resources for teachers. Policywise, school events and activities should be scheduled on working days to ensure that teachers maintain a work-life balance. Additionally, task allocation that caters to individual strengths and limitations can mitigate the effects of SP.
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Reflecting on progress and challenges: the Korean Journal of Family Medicine in 2024 Seung-Won Oh Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(2): 55. CrossRef
Comprehensive Health Strategies for the Post-pandemic Era: Integrating Physical Health, Psychological Resilience, Lifestyle Choices, and Occupational Well-being Su Hwan Cho Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2024; 45(6): 303. CrossRef
Background This study explored the approaches of Jordanian community pharmacists to identifying and counseling breastfeeding mothers regarding medication usage.
Methods This cross-sectional study used self-administered questionnaires. A convenience sample (n=381) of Jordanian community pharmacists was recruited through social media. The responses were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS ver. 25.0 (IBM Corp., USA).
Results The majority of recruited pharmacists were female (n=329, 86.4%). Asking every woman was Jordanian pharmacists’ preferred approach to identifying breastfeeding women (n=211, 55.4%). The study showed that around one-third of the pharmacists (n=128, 33.6%) reported that they currently experienced queries regarding medication use during breastfeeding on a daily basis. Additionally, the majority (n=325, 85.3%) of pharmacists reported feeling confident, and 67.2% of them (n=256) reported feeling comfortable while giving advice to breastfeeding women. The surveyed pharmacists relied on different resources during their course of practice to answer queries related to medicine usage by breastfeeding mothers.
Conclusion Community pharmacists have continuous interactions with breastfeeding women. Pharmacists require reliable and updated data access to answer queries related to medication use while breastfeeding.
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Reflecting on progress and challenges: the Korean Journal of Family Medicine in 2024 Seung-Won Oh Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2025; 46(2): 55. CrossRef
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