• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1938-1945
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• 2021

Breast radiologists are increasingly seeing patients with axillary adenopathy related to COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccination can cause levels I-III axillary as well as cervical lymphadenopathy. Appropriate management of vaccine-related adenopathy may vary depending on clinical context. In patients with current or past history of malignancy, vaccine-related adenopathy can be indistinguishable from nodal metastasis. This article presents imaging findings of oncology patients with adenopathy seen in the axilla or neck on cross-sectional imaging (breast MRI, CT, or PET-CT) after COVID-19 vaccination. Management approach and rationale is discussed, along with consideration on strategies to minimize false positives in vaccinated cancer patients. Time interval between vaccination and adenopathy seen on breast MRI, CT, or PET-CT is also reported.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.347-348
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• 2023

Vaccines help protect people from infections. However, Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinees often still become infected with COVID-19 variants (breakthrough infections) and may go on to suffer from long COVID symptoms due to short-lasting immunity and less-effective protection provided by available vaccines. Moreover, the current COVID-19 vaccines do not prevent viral transmission and ward off only about 15% of breakthrough infections. To prepare more effective vaccines, it is essential to predict the viral strains that will be circulating based on available epidemiological data. The World Health Organization recommends in advance which influenza strains are expected to be prevalent during influenza season to guide the production of influenza vaccines by pharmaceutical companies. However, future emerging COVID-19 strain(s) have not been possible to predict since no sound epidemiological information has been established. Thus, for more effective protection, immune stimulators alone or in combination with vaccines would be preferable to protect people from COVID-19 infection. One of those remedies would be ginseng, which has been used for potentiating immunity in the past.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.19.1-19.10
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• 2023

Endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs) have been evidenced to be cross-reactive to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Although a correlation exists between the immunological memory to HCoVs and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity, there is little experimental evidence for the effects of HCoV memory on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Here, we investigated the Ag-specific immune response to COVID-19 vaccines in the presence or absence of immunological memory against HCoV spike Ags in a mouse model. Pre-existing immunity against HCoV did not affect the COVID-19 vaccine-mediated humoral response with regard to Ag-specific total IgG and neutralizing Ab levels. The specific T cell response to the COVID-19 vaccine Ag was also unaltered, regardless of pre-exposure to HCoV spike Ags. Taken together, our data suggest that COVID-19 vaccines elicit comparable immunity regardless of immunological memory to spike of endemic HCoVs in a mouse model.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.89-97
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• 2022

More than 2 years after the explosion of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, extensive efforts have been made to develop safe and efficacious vaccines against infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The pandemic has opened a new era of vaccine development based on next-generation platforms, including messenger RNA (mRNA)-based technologies, and paved the way for the future of mRNA-based therapeutics to provide protection against a wide range of infectious diseases. Multiple vaccines have been developed at an unprecedented pace to protect against COVID-19 worldwide. However, important knowledge gaps remain to be addressed, especially in terms of how vaccines induce immunogenicity and efficacy in those who are elderly. Here, we discuss the various vaccine platforms that have been utilized to combat COVID-19 and emphasize how these platforms can be a powerful tool to react quickly to future pandemics.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.97-100
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• 2022

In response to the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, vaccines were developed and approved quickly. However, numerous cardiovascular adverse events have been reported. We present two adolescent cases who developed a hypertensive crisis following NT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. Patient 1 was an 18-year-old male and his systolic blood pressure was 230 mmHg one day after the second vaccine. He was obese. No secondary cause of hypertension other than the vaccine was identified. Patient 2 was an 18-year-old male who complained with palpitation after the first vaccine. His blood pressure was 178/109 mmHg. He had autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Both were treated with continuous infusion of labetalol followed by losartan, and blood pressure was controlled. Patient 2 received second vaccination and his blood pressure did not rise. It is warranted to measure blood pressure in adolescents at high risk of hypertension after NT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.163-171
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• 2021

This study aimed to investigate the main characteristics of the COVID-19 vaccine-related videos spread on YouTube and differences in user responses in the infodemic situation caused by COVID-19. As a result of content analysis of 579 videos related to the COVID-19 vaccine, it was found that all of the false information was written by individual channels. Institutions, organizations, media companies, and government channels reported spread of false information as well as fact-oriented reporting. The progressive channel had a high percentage of positive sentiment in favor of vaccination, and the conservative channel had a high percentage of negative emotion against vaccination. After the vaccination started, the number of videos on government channels increased, and it was found that the number of videos with positive emotions increased. Results of regression analysis of video characteristics that affect the number of likes indicated that personal expert videos and videos from progressive channels received more likes. Combining the research results, we propose a plan to promote government policies regarding the COVID-19 vaccine using social media.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.116-120
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• 2023

Purpose: In Japan, the data on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody titers after the booster dose of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine are insufficient. The aim of this study is to evaluate changes in SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers before, 1, 3, and 6 months after the booster dose of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine among health care workers. Materials and Methods: A total of 268 participants who received the booster dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine were analyzed. SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers were measured before (baseline) and at 1, 3, and 6 months after the booster dose. Factors associated with changes in SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at 1, 3, and 6 months were analyzed. Cutoff values at baseline were calculated to prevent infection of the omicron variant of COVID-19. Results: The SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at baseline, and 1, 3, and 6 months were 1,018.3 AU/mL, 21,396.5 AU/mL, 13,704.6 AU/mL, and 8,155.6 AU/mL, respectively. Factors associated with changes in SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at 1 month were age and SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at baseline, whereas changes in SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at 3 and 6 months were associated with the SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at 1 month. The cutoff values of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at baseline were 515.4 AU/mL and 13,602.7 AU/mL at baseline and 1 month after the booster dose, respectively. Conclusion: This study showed that SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers increase rapidly at 1 month after the booster dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine and begin to decrease from 1 to 6 months. Hence, another booster may be needed as soon as possible to prevent infection.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.221-230
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• 2023

Objectives: The second wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Indonesia, during which the Delta variant predominated, took place after a vaccination program had been initiated in the country. This study was conducted to assess the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on unfavorable clinical outcomes including hospitalization, severe COVID-19, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death using a real-world model. Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study involved patients with COVID-19 aged ≥18 years who presented to the COVID-19 emergency room at a secondary referral teaching hospital between June 1, 2021 and August 31, 2021. We used a binary logistic regression model to assess the effect of COVID-19 vaccination on unfavorable clinical outcomes, with age, sex, and comorbidities as confounding variables. Results: A total of 716 patients were included, 32.1% of whom were vaccinated. The elderly participants (≥65 years) had the lowest vaccine coverage among age groups. Vaccination had an effectiveness of 50% (95% confidence interval [CI], 25 to 66) for preventing hospitalization, 97% (95% CI, 77 to 99) for preventing severe COVID-19, 95% (95% CI, 56 to 99) for preventing ICU admission, and 90% (95% CI, 22 to 99) for preventing death. Interestingly, patients with type 2 diabetes had a 2-fold to 4-fold elevated risk of unfavorable outcomes. Conclusions: Among adults, COVID-19 vaccination has a moderate preventive impact on hospitalization but a high preventive impact on severe COVID-19, ICU admission, and death. The authors suggest that relevant parties increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage, especially in the elderly population.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1109-1115
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• 2020

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading globally, and the WHO has declared this outbreak a pandemic. Vaccines are an effective way to prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19. Furthermore, the immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection needs to be understood for the development of an efficient and safe vaccine. Here, we review the current understanding of vaccine targets and the status of vaccine development for COVID-19. We also describe host immune responses to highly pathogenic human coronaviruses in terms of innate and adaptive immunities.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2022

Purpose: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we conducted a Delphi survey that included the experts from the field of COVID-19 immunization in children aged 5-11 years. The aim was to organize collective expert opinions on COVID-19 vaccination in young children in the Republic of Korea, and so thus assist the vaccination policy. Methods: The panels included pediatric infectious disease specialists, preventive medicine experts, infectious disease physicians, and COVID-19 vaccine experts consulting the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The Delphi survey was conducted online using a questionnaire from February 14 to February 27, 2022. Results: The Delphi panels agreed that children were vulnerable to COVID-19, and the severity of illness was modest. Furthermore the panels reported that children with chronic illness were more susceptible to a worsening clinical course. There were generally positive opinions on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 5-11 years, and experts gathered a slightly positive opinion that the adverse events of pediatric COVID-19 were not numerous. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination were evaluated at a level similar to the potential risks in children. Currently, the only approved mRNA platform vaccine in children seemed to be sustainable; however, the recombinant protein platform COVID-19 vaccines were evaluated as better options. Conclusions: Due to the surge of the Omicron variant and an increase in pediatric cases, the COVID-19 vaccination in young children may have to be considered. Panels had neutral opinions regarding the COVID-19 vaccination in children aged 5-11 years. Thus monitoring of the epidemiology and the data about the safety of COVID-19 vaccination should be continued.