ObjectivesTo assess the association between hand grip strength (HGS) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Korean cancer survivors.DesignPopulation-based cross-sectional study.SettingA nationally representative population survey data (face-to-face interviews and health examinations were performed in mobile examination centres).ParticipantsA total of 1037 cancer survivors (person with cancer of any type who is still living) with available data on HGS and HRQoL in the sixth and seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2014–2017).Primary outcome measuresPrevalence of impaired HRQoL by HGS.ResultsAmong 1037 cancer survivors (60.7% women, mean age=62.2 years), 19.2% of them had weak HGS according to gender-specific cut-off values (lowest quintile<29.7 kg in men and <19.7 kg in women). In the study population, the most common cancer site was the stomach, followed by the thyroid, breast, colorectal and cervix. Individuals with weak HGS showed statistically significantly increased impairment in all five dimensions of the EuroQoL-5 dimension (EQ-5D) compared with those in patients with normal HGS. In a multinomial logistic regression analysis, impaired HRQoL (some or extreme problem in EQ-5D) was significantly reduced in each dimension of the EQ-5D, except for anxiety/depression, when HGS was increased. The OR for impaired HRQoL ranged from 0.86 to 0.97 per 1 kg increase in HGS in four dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activity and pain/discomfort).ConclusionsWeak HGS was associated with impaired HRQoL in cancer survivors. Future longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the causality between HGS and HRQoL in cancer survivors.

The clearance and volume of piperacillin were higher than those reported in patients without burns, and the terminal half-life and PTA decreased with the increased CL CR . Our PK model suggests that higher daily doses or longer durations of infusion of piperacillin should be considered, especially for burn patients with a CL CR of >160 ml/min.

BackgroundIn this study, we developed a pharmacokinetic (PK)- pharmacodynamic (PD) model of a new sustained release formulation of interferon-α-2a (SR-IFN-α) using the blood concentration of IFN-α and neopterin in order to quantify the magnitude and saturation of neopterin production over time in healthy volunteers. The SR-IFN-α in this study is a solid microparticular formulation manufactured by spray drying of a feeding solution containing IFN-α, a biocompatible polymer (polyethylene glycol) and sodium hyaluronate.MethodsThe full PK and PD (neopterin concentration) datasets from 24 healthy subjects obtained after single doses of 9, 18, 27 and 36 MIU of subcutaneous SR-IFN-α were used to build the mixed-effect model using NONMEM (version 7.2) with the GFORTRAN compiler.ResultsA one-compartment model with first-order elimination and a mixture of zero- and first-order absorption was chosen to describe the PK of SR-IFN-α. The time-concentration profile of neopterin, the PD marker, was described by a turnover model combined with a single transit compartment. The saturable pattern of the neopterin response blurring the dose–response relationship of SR-IFN-α was addressed by introducing the concept of the EC50 increasing over time.ConclusionsThe PK-PD model of SR-IFN-α developed in this study has presented a quantitative tool to assess the time-course of a saturable neopterin response in humans.

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