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.

Objectives: This study examined the association between sarcopenic obesity and arterial stiffness using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 20,601 Korean adults from January 2016 to December 2023. Sarcopenia was defined as height-adjusted appendicular skeletal muscle mass [(ASM/height²) <5.7 in women and <7.0 in men] using BIA. Obesity was defined by body mass index or waist circumference. Arterial stiffness was assessed by measuring brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). The participants were categorized into four groups: normal, sarcopenia, obesity, and sarcopenic obesity. The baPWV values were compared among the four groups to investigate the association between sarcopenic obesity and arterial stiffness using adjusted multivariate analyses. Results: The mean baPWV of the sarcopenic obesity group was higher (p < 0.001) than that of the other groups. The odds ratio for having high baPWV (>1800 cm/s) in the sarcopenic obesity group was 2.40 (95% CI, 1.07–5.38) after adjusting for age, sex, exercise, smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Conclusions: Sarcopenic obesity was independently associated with increased arterial stiffness.

(1) Background: We aimed to evaluate the association between sociodemographic factors and mental health problems and the sequelae of stroke in South Korea by analyzing the annual Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) conducted from 2016 to 2019. (2) Methods: Data were obtained from 32,379 participants who participated in the KNHANES (2016–2019). A total of 567 participants diagnosed with stroke were included in this study. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of sequelae: (a) stroke patients with sequelae (n = 227, 40.0%) and (b) stroke patients without sequelae (n = 340, 60.0%). (3) Results: Compared to stroke patients without sequelae, those with sequelae were significantly associated with sex (male, 61.2% vs. 47.6%, p = 0.002), household income (lower half, 78.9% vs. 67.4%, p = 0.005), owning a house (60.4% vs. 68.5%, p = 0.048), marital status (unmarried, 7.05% vs. 1.76%, p < 0.001), depression (13.2% vs. 7.35%, p = 0.045), suicidal ideation (6.17% vs. 3.24%, p = 0.010), and suicide attempts (2.64% vs. 0.88%, p = 0.012). (4) Conclusions: Our study showed that poor sociodemographic factors and mental health problems were significantly associated with sequelae from stroke. Clinical physicians should therefore carefully screen for depression and suicidality in stroke patients with sequelae, especially in those with poor sociodemographic factors.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) presents an elevated risk to patients with stroke, especially during the acute phase when prolonged bed rest in the supine position is common in stroke unit (SU). Recent studies suggest that rostral fluid shifts may worsen OSA severity. This study aimed to compare OSA severity between patients with acute stroke in a SU and outpatients with OSA using in-laboratory polysomnography (iPSG) to gain further insight into this relationship. This cross-sectional study was conducted at Samsung Changwon Hospital between April 2021 and October 2022. Patients with acute stroke and outpatients who underwent iPSG were included. SU patients were screened for OSA symptoms and selected based on modified Mallampati score ≥ 3. SU patients were assessed using iPSG during their hospital stay after bed rest periods. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control for confounding variables. Among 530 SU patients, 30 completed iPSG. SU patients exhibited significantly higher supine apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) than outpatients (60.1 vs 28.4, P = .004). The stroke group showed increased odds of elevated supine AHI (OR = 4.99, 95% CI: 1.90–13.11, P = .001). After PSM adjustment, the association remained significant (OR = 18.47, 95% CI: 1.53–222.20, P = .022). Eighty percent of SU patients had moderate-to-severe OSA (AHI ≥ 15) compared to 60% of outpatients. Patients with acute stroke in a SU demonstrate significantly higher supine AHI compared to outpatients with OSA. These findings suggest that prolonged bed rest and supine positioning during acute stroke management may contribute to OSA severity.

Background/Objectives: Iodine intake influences thyroid-related and metabolic diseases that have important public health implications. However, longitudinal evidence of the association between iodine intake and mortality remains scarce and limited to Western populations. Given the markedly high iodine intake among Asians and possible ethnic or regional differences in iodine sensitivity, population-based data from Asian cohorts are needed. Methods: We analyzed 5497 adults from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013–2015) linked with mortality follow-up through 2021. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was quantified from spot urine samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Iodine intake was estimated from UIC and categorized into four groups: below the estimated average requirement, low-normal, high-normal, and above the tolerable upper level (UL). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Cardiovascular disease-specific and cancer-specific mortality were also assessed. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models accounting for the complex survey design were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Sensitivity analysis excluded participants with thyroid disease or early death, and subgroup analyses by age and sex were also conducted. Results: During a median 8.4-year follow-up, 139 deaths occurred. Compared with the low-normal intake group, excessive iodine intake (above UL) was not associated with all-cause mortality (HR 1.09, 95% CI 0.36–3.27), cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.27, 95% CI 0.21–7.61), or cancer mortality (HR 1.71, 95% CI 0.40–7.29). No significant trends were observed across intake categories (p > 0.2), and similar findings were obtained when UIC levels were analyzed. Excluding participants with thyroid disease or early death did not change the results, and no significant interaction was observed by age or sex. Conclusions: In this first population-based Asian study on iodine intake to mortality, neither estimated iodine intake nor UIC was associated with all-cause mortality. These results suggest that the relationship between iodine exposure and mortality may differ across populations, underscoring the need for further large-scale studies.

Background / Aims: 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 new concept of MASLD in a longitudinal cohort. Methods: We reviewed 1,497 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 were assessed the link between H. pylori activity 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 activity status 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.