• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.14-21
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• 2022

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has been rampant since the end of 2019, has evidently affected pain management in clinical practice. Fortunately, a COVID-19 vaccination program is currently in progress worldwide. There is an ongoing discussion that pain management using steroid injections can decrease COVID-19 vaccine efficacy, although currently there is no direct evidence to support this statement. As such, the feeling of pain in patients is doubled in addition to the co-existing ill-effects of social isolation associated with the pandemic. Thus, in the COVID-19 era, it has become necessary that physicians be able to provide high quality pain management without negatively impacting COVID-19 vaccine efficacy. Steroids can alter the entire process involved in the generation of adaptive immunity after vaccination. The period of hypophysis-pituitary-adrenal axis suppression is known to be 1 to 4 weeks after steroid injection, and although the exact timing for peak efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines is slightly different for each vaccine, the average is approximately 2 weeks. It is suggested to avoid steroid injections for a total of 4 weeks (1 week before and after the two vaccine doses) for the double-shot vaccines, and for 2 weeks in total (1 week before and after vaccination) for a single-shot vaccine. This review focuses on the basic concepts of the various COVID-19 vaccines, the effect of steroid injections on vaccine efficacy, and suggestions regarding an appropriate interval between the administration of steroid injections and the COVID-19 vaccine.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제51권2호
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• pp.125-134
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• 2024

Objective: Vitamin D deficiency is a major problem for human health worldwide. The mechanisms of vitamin D in the male reproductive system are unknown. After coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines were developed, doubts were raised about their possible effects on male fertility. Based on vitamin D's function in the immune system, its potential role as an adjuvant for COVID-19 vaccines is intriguing. The aims of this study were to assess the effects of vitamin D first on sperm parameters and sex hormones, and then as an immune adjuvant on sperm parameters and sex hormones after study participants had received their second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: Phase 1 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) included 72 men with idiopathic infertility, and phase 2 had 64 participants who received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Both groups were instructed to take 50,000 IU of vitamin D twice monthly for 3 months. Sperm parameters and sex hormones were assessed pre-and post-supplementation. Results: Regular vitamin D intake for 3 months significantly increased the participants' vitamin D levels (p=0.0001). Both phases showed a positive correlation between vitamin D intake and sperm parameters. Vaccination had no negative effects on sperm parameters and sex hormones. Vitamin D was associated with follicle-stimulating hormone (p=0.02) and testosterone (p=0.0001) in phase 2 after treatment. Conclusion: Our results support vitamin D supplementation as an immune adjunct to COVID-19 vaccination for improving sperm parameters and hormone levels. COVID-19 vaccination is not harmful for male fertility potential, and vitamin D is an effective factor for male fertility.

• Journal of Digestive Cancer Research
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.107-111
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• 2022

In 2019, coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which originated in Wuhan, has spread worldwide. In most people, COVID-19 symptoms are not severe. However, the mortality rate and severity were high in risk groups such as in older people and patients with underlying diseases. As patients with cancer are one of the risk groups, the vaccination for COVID-19 is emphasized in these patients. However, COVID-19 vaccines are not tested enough in special groups such as in patients with cancer because these vaccines are developed at an unprecedented speed. This causes confusion about whether patients undergoing chemotherapy should be vaccinated or not. In this study, international guidelines and studies were reviewed. Most of the studies recommended vaccination. No evidences of any negative effects for the efficacy or safety were recorded in patients undergoing cytotoxic, targeted, and immune agents. However, in critical conditions such as cytopenia, vaccination must be decided according to the patient's condition. COVID-19 vaccines were also recommended for patients on surgery or radiation therapy. If possible, vaccine is given before surgery to avoid confusion between surgical complications and side effects of the vaccine. The radiation recall phenomenon after vaccination has been reported in some cases of radiation therapy. Clinicians should consider these situations before vaccinating each patient. We hope that clearer guidelines will be established by accumulating verified data.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제31권12호
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• pp.1601-1614
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• 2021

To overcome the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination campaigns are the highest priority of majority of countries. Limited supply and worldwide disproportionate availability issues for the approved vaccines, together with concerns about rare side-effects have recently initiated the switch to heterologous vaccination, commonly known as mixing of vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in the general population. However, none of the vaccines is 100% efficacious or effective, with variants posing more challenges, resulting in breakthrough cases. This review summarizes the current knowledge of immune responses to variants of concern (VOC) and breakthrough infections. Furthermore, we discuss the scope of heterologous vaccination and future strategies to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, including fractionation of vaccine doses and alternative route of vaccination.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.2-8
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• 2022

Humanity is in the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and vaccines-including mRNA vaccines-have been developed at an unprecedented speed. It is necessary to develop guidelines for vaccination for people undergoing treatment with assisted reproductive technology (ART) and for pregnancy-related situations based on the extant laboratory and clinical data. COVID-19 vaccines do not appear to adversely affect gametes, embryos, or implantation; therefore, active vaccination is recommended for women or men who are preparing for ART. The use of intravenous immunoglobulin G (IVIG) for the treatment of immune-related infertility is unlikely to impact the effectiveness of the vaccines, so COVID-19 vaccines can be administered around ART cycles in which IVIG is scheduled. Pregnant women have been proven to be at risk of severe maternal and neonatal complications from COVID-19. It does not appear that COVID-19 vaccines harm pregnant women or fetuses; instead, they have been observed to deliver antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) to the fetus. Accordingly, it is recommended that pregnant women receive COVID-19 vaccination. There is no rationale for adverse effects, or clinical cases of adverse reactions, in mothers or neonates after COVID-19 vaccination in lactating women. Instead, antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 can be delivered through breast milk. Therefore, breastfeeding mothers should consider vaccination. In summary, active administration of COVID-19 vaccines will help ensure the safe implementation of ART, pregnancy, and breastfeeding.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.208-211
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• 2023

We describe the case of a 49-year-old right hand-dominant woman with myositis of the biceps brachii muscle unrelated to the inoculation site following Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination on the deltoid muscle of the left shoulder. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has involved global spread, and different vaccines including inactivated, protein, vectored, and nucleic acid vaccines have been developed and administered. Common side effects of COVID-19 vaccines include general manifestations such as headache, fever, and fatigue, and various musculoskeletal symptoms. Here, we present a case of myositis occurring in the biceps brachii muscle unrelated to the inoculation site, which has not been reported previously, accompanied by a literature review.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제23권2호
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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.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.83-90
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• 2024

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines has been a remarkable advancement. However, the efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of these vaccines in individuals with liver cirrhosis require careful evaluation due to their compromised immune status and potential interactions with underlying liver disease. The present study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in liver cirrhosis patients. In the present study, we searched international databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science. The search strategy was carried out by using keywords and MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terms. STATA ver. 15.0 (Stata Corp., USA) was used to analyze the data statistically. The analysis was performed using the randomeffects model. We also used the chi-square test and I² index to calculate heterogeneity among studies. For evaluating publication bias, Begg's funnel plots and Egger's tests were used. A total of 4,831 liver cirrhosis patients with COVID-19 were examined from 11 studies. The rate of hospitalization in the patients with liver cirrhosis was 17.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9%-44%). The rate of fever in the patients with liver cirrhosis was 4.5% (95% CI, 0.9%-8.1%). The rate of positive neutralizing antibodies in the patients with liver cirrhosis was 82.5% (95% CI, 69.8%-95.1%). Also, the rates of seroconversion after the second vaccination in patients with liver cirrhosis and the control group were 96.6% (95% CI, 92.0%-99.0%), and 99.7% (95% CI, 99.0%-100.0%), respectively. COVID-19 vaccines have demonstrated promising efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety profiles in individuals with liver cirrhosis, providing crucial protection against COVID-19-related complications.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제33권9호
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• pp.746-753
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• 2023

바이러스성 전염병은 전 세계 공중 보건에 가장 큰 위협 중 하나로 간주된다. 최근 중증급성호흡기증후군 코로나바이러스-2(SARS-CoV-2)로 인한 COVID-19 대유행은 신종 바이러스 감염의 위협을 극명하게 상기시켜 주었다. 효율적인 백신과 치료제 개발 및 생산은 팬데믹을 퇴치할 수 있는 유일한 대안일 것이며 COVID-19 대유행은 새로운 바이러스성 질병을 통제하고 예방하기 위한 새로운 백신 플랫폼의 필요성을 보여주었다. 기존의 백신 플랫폼인 약독화 생백신, 불활성화 백신은 백신 개발 속도, 제조 등이 광범위한 백신 적용을 위한 긴급 사용에 한계가 있다. 흥미롭게도, COVID-19 예방을 위한 SARS-CoV-2 mRNA-지질나노입자(LNP) 플랫폼은 기존 백신 플랫폼 한계에 대한 효과적인 대안임이 확인되었다. 또한 COVID-19 mRNA 핵산 백신과 나노입자 기반 플랫폼은 SARS-CoV-2 및 변종 SARS-CoV-2 모두에 효과적인 백신임이 확인되었다. 이 논문에서는 mRNA 백신, 디지털 백신 및 나노입자백신 등의 차세대 백신 플랫폼을 중점으로 백신 기술 및 플랫폼의 장단점에 대해 기술하였다.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.1-4
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• 2021

With this as a momentum of approval Pfizer vaccine against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019), it is changed to the era of vaccine rapidly. Most countries are trying to reserve effective vaccines and inoculate vaccines into high-risk populations for achieving community immunity. I reviewed several vaccine-related issues to be confronted for moving up to the end of COVID-2019: the efficacy and effectiveness of the approved vaccines, the priorities for vaccination into target groups, side effects, and distrust towards COVID-2019 vaccines. Evidence-based decision-making in the policy process and collaboration with professional groups are the most effective strategies for driving successful vaccination policy.