• Molecules and Cells
• /
• 제44권6호
• /
• pp.408-421
• /
• 2021

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has not only affected human health but also diverted the focus of research and derailed the world economy over the past year. Recently, vaccination against COVID-19 has begun, but further studies on effective therapeutic agents are still needed. The severity of COVID-19 is attributable to several factors such as the dysfunctional host immune response manifested by uncontrolled viral replication, type I interferon suppression, and release of impaired cytokines by the infected resident and recruited cells. Due to the evolving pathophysiology and direct involvement of the host immune system in COVID-19, the use of immune-modulating drugs is still challenging. For the use of immune-modulating drugs in severe COVID-19, it is important to balance the fight between the aggravated immune system and suppression of immune defense against the virus that causes secondary infection. In addition, the interplaying events that occur during virus-host interactions, such as activation of the host immune system, immune evasion mechanism of the virus, and manifestation of different stages of COVID-19, are disjunctive and require thorough streamlining. This review provides an update on the immunotherapeutic interventions implemented to combat COVID-19 along with the understanding of molecular aspects of the immune evasion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which may provide opportunities to develop more effective and promising therapeutics.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• 제9권4호
• /
• pp.191-196
• /
• 2022

From several socioeconomic perspectives, the present health crisis can be connected to the 2008 financial and economic catastrophe. Governments worldwide are working hard to keep the markets in check, as evidence suggests that the health crisis may soon become an economic crisis. This paper aims to analyze the effect of COVID-19 on the selected stock market. Using a panel of daily COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths and the stock market from 22 developing countries, we exploit an oil price as a shock to the stock market and examine the effect of COVID-19 on the slowdown of the stock market. We find a negative and significant impact of COVID-19 on the stock market in the first stage till April. However, there is no net influence on the stock market downturn when we extend the period. However, further study suggests that the outbreak's negative influence on the selected stock market has diminished and has begun to decline as of mid-April. As a result of the COVID-19 effect on the chosen stock, our findings imply that the government in the chosen market should consider a regulatory mechanism to reduce the stock market slowdown induced by the pandemic COVID-19.

• 유통과학연구
• /
• 제20권4호
• /
• pp.95-100
• /
• 2022

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate whether distribution and service companies maintained their accounting information quality and provided reliable information despite the economic changes occurring after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Korea. The distribution industry has enjoyed increased demand as many companies expanded their untact distribution channels, including to online sales. However, as the pandemic drags on, their future prospects remain uncertain. Research design, data, and methodology: In this study, we define 2018-2019 as the "pre COVID-19 period" and 2020 as the "post COVID-19 period." An empirical analysis was performed using a regression model that includes POST, the independent variable, indicating the post COVID-19 period, and discretionary accruals(DA), a proxy for earnings management, as a dependent variable. Results: The analysis shows that the coefficient of POST is significantly positive (+) for the dependent variable DA. This finding suggests that distribution and service companies engaged in more earnings management during the post COVID-19 period than during the pre COVID-19 period, indicating their awareness of the uncertainty of future business performance as the pandemic persists. An additional analysis confirmed that smaller companies with fewer stakeholders and higher information asymmetry tend to engage more in earnings management than larger companies.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• 제65권5호
• /
• pp.741-750
• /
• 2022

Objective : In March 2020, World Health Organization declared a global pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The disease caused by this virus is called COVID-19. Due to its high contagiousness, many changes have occurred in overall areas of our daily life including hospital use by patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on volume of spine surgery in South Korea using the National Health Insurance database and compare it with the volume of a homologous period before the pandemic. Methods : Data of related to spine surgery from January 2019 to April 2021 were obtained from the National Health Insurance and Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. Primary outcomes were total number of patients, rate of patients per 100000 population, and total number of procedures. The number of patients by hospital size was also analyzed. Results : COVID-19 outbreaks occurred in South Korea in March, August, and December of 2020. Compared to the previous year, the total number of patients who underwent spinal surgery showed a decrease for 2-3 months after the first and second outbreaks. However, it showed an increasing trend after the third outbreak. The same pattern was observed in terms of the ratio of the number of patients per 100000 population. Between 2019 and 2021, the mean number of spine surgeries per month tended to increase. Mean annual medical expenses increased over the years (p=0.001). When the number of spine surgeries was analyzed by hospital size, proportion of tertiary general hospital in 2021 increased compared to those in 2019 and 2020 (vs. 2019, p=0.012; vs. 2020, p=0.016). The proportion of general hospital was significantly decreased in 2020 compared to that in 2019 (p=0.037). Conclusion : After the COVID-19 outbreak, patients tended to postpone spinal surgery temporarily. The number of spinal surgeries decreased for 2-3 months after the first and second outbreaks. However, as the ability to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic at the hospital and society-wide level gradually increased, the number of spine surgeries did not decrease after the third outbreak in December 2020. In addition, the annual number of spine surgeries continued to increase. However, it should be noted that patients tend to be increasingly concentrated in tertiary hospitals for spinal surgery.

• 한국콘텐츠학회논문지
• /
• 제20권12호
• /
• pp.154-165
• /
• 2020

COVID-19 팬데믹의 장기화로 인해 우리는 유례없는 사회경제적 위협에 직면해 있다. 인적 교류의 통제로 보건의료 측면에서의 위협 뿐 아니라 경제 활동 위축에 따른 부담에까지 동시에 노출되어 있다. 이러한 상황은 우리가 그간 위기상황에 대비해 마련해 놓았던 사회안전망에 대해 재점검해 볼 기회를 마련해 주었다. 본 연구는 이러한 맥락에서 사회안전망에 대한 평가가 정부의 신뢰도 및 정부 주도의 증세 정책에 대한 수용에 미치는 영향력을 살펴보고자 하였다. 이를 위해 본 연구는 COVID-19가 팬데믹 국면으로 접어든 이후인 2020년 5월, 전국의 성인남녀 1000명을 대상으로 시행한 설문조사의 자료를 토대로 분석을 시행하였다. 분석 결과, COVID-19 발발 이후 우리나라의 사회안전망에 대한 평가는 정부에 대한 신뢰에 정(+)의 영향력을 미치고 있었으며, 이는 개인의 증세 정책에 대한 수용을 보다 증진시키는 것으로 나타났다. 아울러, 정부 신뢰의 증세 수용에 대한 정(+)의 영향력은 소득 수준이 높아질 때 보다 증폭되는 것으로 확인되었다. 이러한 일련의 결과는 향후 코로나 이후를 대비한 정책과 시스템의 재정비에 있어 이론적 기틀을 마련하는데 도움을 줄 수 있을 것이다.

• 한국지리정보학회지
• /
• 제25권2호
• /
• pp.18-29
• /
• 2022

본 연구의 목적은 2020년 1월부터 8월까지 발생한 COVID-19 감염증 발생의 공간적 확산의 패턴을 파악하고 영향요인을 추정하고자 하는 것이다. 우리나라 시·군·구별 COVID-19 확진자를 대상으로 탐색적 공간자료분석과 공간회귀모형을 활용하여 분석하였다. 분석의 결과 COVID-19는 기존에 논의되던 감염병 출현의 요인이었던 숙주와 환경요인이 큰 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타나지 않았으며 공간적으로 인접한 지역과의 관계가 높게 나타났다. 특히 신종 감염병인 4군 감염병의 발생 패턴과 밀접한 관련이 있는 것으로 나타났다. 이 연구의 결과는 COVID-19가 새로운 감염병임에도 불구하고 기존에 발생하였던 신종 감염병의 발생과 전혀 다른 패턴이 아니라는 점을 보여준다. 이는 신종 감염병을 효과적으로 통제하기 위해서 과거 새로운 감염병이 출현하였던 공간의 특성을 지속적으로 관리해야 함을 의미한다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제32권9호
• /
• pp.1073-1085
• /
• 2022

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has continued for over 2 years, following the outbreak of coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) in 2019. It has resulted in enormous casualties and severe economic crises. The rapid development of vaccines and therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 has helped slow the spread. In the meantime, various mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 have emerged to evade current vaccines and therapeutics. A better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis is a prerequisite for developing efficient, advanced vaccines and therapeutics. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, a tremendous amount of research has been conducted to unveil SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis, from clinical observations to biochemical analysis at the molecular level upon viral infection. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 propagation and pathogenesis, with an update on recent advances.

• Human Ecology Research
• /
• 제60권2호
• /
• pp.163-176
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to understand the changes in the daily life and quality of life of the elderly due to the spread of COVID-19. This study attempted to supplement the limitations of quantitative analysis by performing both quantitative and qualitative analysis. A large-scale representative data, the Elderly Survey 2017 and 2020, were analyzed, and in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 16 elderly people in Gwangju and Seoul. As a result, it was found that the overall quality of life was positively changed compared to before Corona. The frequency of contact and visits with family members decreased whereas the time spent watching TV increased. The elderly's adaptation to daily life has a series of processes since the first outbreak of COVID-19. At the beginning of the outbreak, there were fear, anxiety, and depression due to isolation, but gradually made efforts to adapt to the new situation. They reported that they realized the importance of human relationships, especially spouses, in a crisis situation and that there were some positive aspects as well. Finally, in all these results a difference was found between single-person households and multi-person households. Through the above research results, academic and policy measures were discussed.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• 제7권9호
• /
• pp.659-672
• /
• 2020

The outbreak of a recent strain of Coronavirus, known as 'COVID-19', has spread sharply from China across the globe, resulting in a dramatic recession in the global economy. This uncertainty has therefore negatively influenced the business perspective and the various formulated strategies that may not considered such [extreme] circumstances. Using baseline analysis and archival data, this paper reports some of the major implications of COVID-19 on global business and strategy and puts forward suggested research agenda as potential future directions for organizations. In order to survive and remain sustainable, this paper argues that businesses need to revisit their strategies during current COVID-19 crises from three perspectives, including supporting human resources financial commitment, forming cross-functional teams and connecting with their supply chains, as well as investing in corporate social responsibility and doubling down efforts with regard to partnerships. The study also represents a preliminary analysis to the implications of COVID-19 on the business and strategies across the globe and is considered the first such in the field of business, as to date all research papers on COVID-19 have been published in medical-related journals. Directions for future research are also proposed at the end of this study.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
• /
• 제53권3호
• /
• pp.201-207
• /
• 2021

The 2019 coronavirus outbreak poses a threat to scientific, societal, financial, and health resources. The complex pathogenesis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus centers on the unpredictable clinical progression of the disease, which may evolve abruptly and result in critical and life-threatening clinical complications. Effective clinical laboratory biomarkers that can classify patients according to risk are essential for ensuring timely treatment, and an analysis of recently published studies found cytokine storm and coagulation disorders were leading factors of severe COVID-19 complications. The following inflammatory, biochemical, and hematology biomarkers markers have been identified in COVID-19 patients; neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, c-reactive protein, procalcitonin, urea, liver enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase, serum amyloid A, cytokines, d-dimer, fibrinogen, ferritin, troponin, creatinine kinase, and lymphocyte, leukocyte, and platelet counts. These factors are predictors of disease severity and some are involved in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. CRP is an acute-phase, non-specific serological biomarker of inflammation and infection and is related to disease severities and outcomes. In the present study, CRP levels were found to rise dramatically among COVID-19 patients, and our findings suggest CRP could be utilized clinically to predict COVID-19 prognosis and severity even before disease progression and the manifestation of clinical symptoms.