Yoon YK, et al. Infect Chemother. 2021 Sep;53(3):617-659. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2021.0098

Bongyoung Kim, M.D., Ph.D., Jin-Hong Kim, M.D., and Yangsoon Lee, M.D., Ph.D.. Ann Lab Med 2022;42:203-12. https://doi.org/10.3343/alm.2022.42.2.203

The current methods available for determining insulin resistance are complicated; hence, they are only applicable to small-scale studies. Therefore, this study aimed to classify the characteristics of surrogate measures for insulin resistance and establish valid cut-off values for predicting the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in Korean populations. This prospective study included 7,643 participants aged 40–69 years from the Ansung-Ansan cohort database (2001–2012). Four surrogate measures, namely homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), visceral adiposity index (VAI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), and triglycerides and glucose (TyG) index, were analyzed. We analyzed each measure using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the development of type 2 DM. The cut-off value was determined as the value with the highest Youden index score in the specificity dominant area. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.566 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.548–0.583) for HOMA-IR, 0.622 (95% CI, 0.605–0.639) for VAI, 0.642 (95% CI, 0.625–0.658) for LAP, and 0.672 (95% CI, 0.656–0.687) for TyG index. The AUC of TyG index was significantly higher than that of HOMA-IR, VAI, and LAP (p < 0.001). The cut-off value was 2.54 (sensitivity 36.8%; specificity 73.1%; hazard ratio [HR], 1.41, 95% CI, 1.25–1.59) for HOMA-IR, 2.54 (sensitivity 50.4%; specificity 68.8%; HR, 1.75, 95% CI, 1.55–1.96) for VAI, 36.6 (sensitivity 59.2%; specificity 63.9%; HR, 1.87, 95% CI, 1.64–2.14) for LAP, and 4.69 (sensitivity 62.1%; specificity 63.1%; HR, 2.17, 95% CI, 1.92–2.45) for TyG index. The TyG index was a better predictor for DM than HOMA-IR. VAI and LAP showed the modest predictability for DM. The TyG index could be a useful supplementary method for identifying individuals at risk for insulin resistance and DM development.

Cheong HS, et al. Infect Chemother. 2022 Dec;54(4):637-673. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2022.0171

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changing pattern of antibiotic usage and antimicrobial resistance of bacterial pathogens among hospitalized patients in Korea. We simultaneously investigated the correlation between antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic consumption. Data on total antibiotic prescriptions, patient days, and antimicrobial sensitivity tests among inpatients from 6 university hospitals in Korea in 2004, 2008, and 2012 were collected. The consumption of each antibiotic class was converted to defined daily dose/1000 patient-days by using the anatomical therapeutic chemical classification system by the World Health Organization. We defined third-generation cephalosporins (3rd CEPs), fourth-generation cephalosporins, beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors, and fluoroquinolones (FQs) as broad-spectrum antibiotics and carbapenems, tigecycline, glycopeptides, oxazolidinone, and polymyxin as antibiotics against multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. A 15.1% decrease in total antibiotic consumption was observed in 2012 compared to that observed in 2004. In contrast, a 10.2% and 70.7% increase in broad-spectrum antibiotics and antibiotics against MDR pathogens were observed, respectively, in the same period. The resistance rate of Escherichia coli to 3rd CEPs (17.6% in 2004, 21.7% in 2008, and 33.8% in 2012, P <.001) and ciprofloxacin (37.5% in 2004, 38.7% in 2008, and 46.6% in 2012, P = .001) demonstrated a significantly increasing trend. Similarly, the resistance rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae to 3rd CEPs (34.3% in 2004, 33.7% in 2008, and 44.5% in 2012, P <.001) gradually increased. Resistance of Acinetobacter baumanii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to imipenem significantly increased throughout the study period (A baumanii: 8.9% in 2004, 40.8% in 2008, and 65.3% in 2012, P <.001; P aeruginosa: 25.1% in 2004, 31.5% in 2008, and 29.7% in 2008, P = .050). The consumption of carbapenems and FQs demonstrated significant positive correlation for resistance of E coli or K pneumoniae to 3rd CEPs as well as E coli or K pneumoniae to ciprofloxacin. Increasing resistance of A baumanii to ciprofloxacin was significantly correlated with increasing consumption of FQs; increasing resistance of A baumanii to imipenem was significantly correlated with increasing consumption of carbapenems. In conclusion, overall antimicrobial resistance increased and consumption of broad-spectrum antibiotics and antibiotics against MDR pathogens subsequently increased in Korean hospitals.