Cho HJ, et al.

This study examined the association between tobacco use and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Two approaches were employed: a case-control study using the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency-COVID19-National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) cohort and a retrospective cohort study involving 12,571,698 individuals from the NHIS cohort.

In the case-control study, current combustible cigarette (CC) smokers, current and former noncombustible tobacco product (NCTP) users, and current users of any tobacco product exhibited lower odds ratios for SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to never users. The retrospective cohort study also revealed reduced relative risks for COVID-19-related hospitalization among current CC smokers and current users of any tobacco product. However, the study did not find a significant association between the use of tobacco products and COVID-19-related mortality, leaving the causality of these relationships uncertain.

Do KH, et al.

This study explores CT findings and clinical outcomes of pulmonary nocardiosis, a rare opportunistic infection with occasional systemic dissemination. Dissemination occurred in 18.7% of cases. Disseminated cases exhibited higher cavitation and pleural effusion. The 12-month mortality rate was 25.3%, with dissemination not significantly impacting prognosis. Malignancy, steroid use, and a specific CT pattern were associated with higher mortality. In summary, dissemination in pulmonary nocardiosis correlates with distinct CT features but does not independently affect mortality.

Lee H, et al.

Tuberculosis (TB) survivors face an elevated risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This population-based matched cohort study, utilizing Korean National Health Insurance Service data from 2010–2018, revealed that 9.6% of subjects developed COPD, with 2.8% experiencing COPD-related hospitalization. TB survivors exhibited significantly higher COPD incidence rates and COPD-related hospitalization. Those with post TB-COPD had higher hospitalization rates and increased risk of COPD-related hospitalization. These findings emphasize TB as a significant etiology associated with COPD-related hospitalization.

Chang CB, et al.

This study assessed the life expectancy and causes of death in osteoarthritis (OA) patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and identified risk factors affecting long-term mortality. Among 601 TKA patients, 5-, 10-, and 15-year survival rates were 94%, 84%, and 75%. Male gender, older age, lower BMI, anemia, and higher Charlson comorbidity index were associated with higher mortality post-TKA. TKA improves life expectancy, but careful follow-up is needed for high-risk patients.

Readers should also refer to the editorial response for this article.

Chung S, et al.

The Pandemic Grief Risk Factors (PGRF) is a self-report tool developed to assess unique grief-related factors during COVID-19 loss. Validated among healthcare workers who witnessed patient deaths, the Korean version demonstrated a single-factor structure, good internal consistency, and convergent validity. The PGRF’s general severity correlated with work-related stress and pandemic grief reactions. Mediation analysis revealed work-related stress positively influenced grief reactions, with depression, anxiety, and overall grief risk factors partially mediating this association The PGRF has shown evidence of being a valid and reliable tool for assessing pandemic-related grief risk factors in healthcare workers, helping to identify those at risk for dysfunctional grief responses.