Background/Objectives: Previous studies suggested a link between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and steatotic liver disease, now termed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). This study aimed to identify the association of active H. pylori infection and the new concept of MASLD in a longitudinal cohort. Methods: We reviewed 1497 health examinees who had two endoscopic biopsies for H. pylori activity without hepatic steatosis at the baseline abdominal ultrasonography. Subjects were classified into four groups based on H. pylori activity. Multivariable Cox models assessed the link between active H. pylori infection status and incident MASLD. Results: Over a median follow-up of 31.1 months, 247 subjects (16.5%) developed MASLD. The groups were: H. pylori naïve (n = 57, 15.6%), de novo (n = 31, 15.3%), eradicated (n = 32, 16.1%), and persistent (n = 127, 17.4%). The H. pylori persistent group had a higher risk of MASLD compared to naïve group (hazard ratio: 1.41; 95% confidence interval: 1.01–1.96; p-value = 0.045). The association between H. pylori infection and incident MASLD was significant only with ongoing infection. Conclusions: Persistent H. pylori infection increases the risk of MASLD, indicating that active infection may contribute to MASLD development. Eradicating active H. pylori infection might help lower the incidence of MASLD.

Background/Objectives: Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is increasingly implicated in metabolic diseases; however, evidence for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and potential sex differences remains limited. Thus, this study aimed to examine the relationship between UPF consumption and NAFLD stratified by sex in Korean adults. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis of Korean adults from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–2021 (n = 24,587). UPF intake was quantified as the percentage of NOVA Group 4 items consumed in total daily food weight based on a 24 h recall. The participants were grouped into quartiles of UPF intake. NAFLD was defined using the hepatic steatosis index. Survey-weighted models were used to summarize the characteristics and estimated odds ratios (ORs) for NAFLD across the UPF quartiles with adjustment for factors associated with both NAFLD and dietary intake. Linear trend tests across quartiles and continuous analyses of UPF intake were performed, with sex-stratified models to assess potential effect modification. Results: NAFLD prevalence increased as UPF intake quartile increased, from 19.1% in Q1 to 24.1% in Q4. With Q1 as reference, the fully adjusted OR for Q4 was 1.24 (95% CI, 1.10–1.41, p for trend = 0.001). In the sex-stratified analyses, the association was only significant in women (Q4 vs. Q1: OR, 1.52, 95% CI, 1.28–1.81; p for trend < 0.001). When UPF intake was modeled as a continuous variable, NAFLD risk showed a modest overall increase, with a nearly flat pattern in men and a clear linear increase in women. Conclusions: Higher UPF intake is associated with a greater risk of NAFLD in Korean adults, with a more pronounced association in women. Thus, UPF consumption is a feasible modifiable target for liver health.

Background/Aims: The incidence of pancreatic cancer (PC) is gradually increasing among elderly individuals, but there are insufficient clinical data on elderly individuals. To determine the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy, we compared the. the outcomes of elderly patients with unresectable PC. Methods: We enrolled patients aged 75 years or older diagnosed with PC from 1 January 2010 to 30 November 2021. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce the heterogeneity of the study population. For efficacy evaluation, the median overall survival (OS) was estimated for the chemotherapy and nonchemotherapy groups. Chemotherapy tolerability evaluations were also investigated. Results: The study included 115 patients, 47 of whom received chemotherapy and 68 who did not. After PSM, compared with the nonchemotherapy group, the chemotherapy group had more myocardial infarctions (14.6 vs. 0.0%, p < 0.001) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (4.4 vs. 0.0%, p = 0.043). The primary endpoint, median OS, was significantly different in the with vs. without chemotherapy groups (203 vs. 106 days, p = 0.013). In the chemotherapy group, 10 patients (21.3%) discontinued treatment due to adverse events. However, there were no reports of death due to severe adverse events. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that chemotherapy improved median OS among elderly patients. These data could support the use of chemotherapy for elderly patients with unresectable PC.

Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) is a widely utilized and relatively safe procedure for diagnosing pancreatic diseases. Although early feeding post-EUS-FNB is clinically advantageous, consensus regarding the optimal feeding time in current guidelines remains lacking. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of early feeding after EUS-FNB. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 111 patients who underwent EUS-FNB for diagnosing pancreatic diseases between January 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, at Samsung Changwon Hospital. Patients were divided into two groups: those who fed within 4 h after the procedure and those who remained fasting for 24 h after the procedure. We investigated two hospitalization duration metrics: procedure-related hospital days (HD), defined as the period exclusively attributed to EUS-FNB recovery, and total HD, encompassing the entire hospitalization duration, including additional diagnostic or therapeutic interventions unrelated to the procedure. After excluding missing data, 110 patients were analyzed. Among them, the mean age was 67.4 years, with 52.7% being male. Of these, 42 patients resumed early feeding. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of complications. However, the procedure-related HD was shorter in the early feeding group (3.8 ± 0.8 vs. 4.9 ± 0.7 days, P = 0.001). Additionally, the multivariate analysis revealed no difference in complication rates between the two groups (odds ratio; 0.83, 95% confidence interval; 0.07–9.39, P = 0.877). Early feeding following EUS-FNB was associated with a shorter hospitalization stay without increasing the risk of complications. These findings suggest that early feeding after EUS-FNB offers clinical benefits.

Background/Objectives: Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption is increasing worldwide, yet its domain-specific impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among postmenopausal women remains poorly characterized. This study investigated associations between UPF intake and domain-specific and overall HRQoL in a nationally representative sample of Korean postmenopausal women. Methods: Data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2021) were analyzed. UPF consumption was assessed using a single 24 h dietary recall and classified according to the NOVA food classification system. HRQoL was evaluated using the five EQ-5D domains and the overall EQ-5D index. Survey-weighted logistic regression models estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) across UPF intake quartiles, adjusting for socioeconomic and health-related covariates. Results: Higher UPF consumption was associated with impairments in specific HRQoL domains rather than a uniform decline across domains. In fully adjusted models, women in the third UPF intake quartile had higher odds of mobility impairment (OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.06–2.86) and anxiety/depression symptoms (OR 1.71; 95% CI 1.06–2.77) than those in the lowest quartile. A significant linear trend was observed for mobility (P-for-trend = 0.012). In contrast, associations with the overall EQ-5D index score were limited and not consistently observed after full adjustment. Conclusions: Higher UPF consumption is associated with domain-specific HRQoL impairments, particularly affecting physical mobility and mental health, among postmenopausal women. These findings underscore the importance of domain-specific assessments and suggest that UPF consumption may be related to certain aspects of functional and psychological well-being after menopause.