• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.253-261
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• 2021

This study was conducted to investigate the factors influencing in the infection control performance of coronavirus infection disease-19 in registered nurse. Data were collected using descriptive structured questionnaires to examine the factors of influencing in the infection control performance. General characteristics, knowledge of infection control, anxiety, fatigue, and coronavirus infection-19 (COVID-19) respiratory infection management performance were identified from structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, ANOVA, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were performed using the IBM SPSS 21.0 program. Anxiety and respiratory infection management performance was a negative correlation. Multiple regression analysis indicated anxiety was predicted component of performance of coronavirus infection-19 respiratory infection management. The results indicate a need to decrease degree of anxiety by developing educational programs to improve nurses' ability to manage coronavirus infection-19 respiratory infections. In addition, it is necessary to consider applying a role-play or simulation education method so that registered nurse can take care of patients with emerging infectious diseases in advance.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.109-121
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• 2021

Purpose : The first case of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) disease outbreak in Korea occurred in January 2020, and the cumulative number of confirmed cases by the Central Defense Response Headquarters of the Quality Management Administration as of November 30 was 34,201. Looking at the incidence trend of domestic confirmed cases by age, the incidence rate of COVID-19 in the age group of 20-29 years, which corresponds to college students, was 27.4 %, the highest compared by age group. Considering the current status of the infection rate, universities will become the centers of new COVID-19 cases if face-to-face lectures are recommenced without preparatory measures and analysis of infection prevention (e.g., infection awareness and education for university students). Thus, this study intended to investigate the level of knowledge, educational needs, and preventive behavior performance of college students about COVID-19 and provide basic data for the development of an education program for the prevention of COVID-19 for college students. Methods : This study is a descriptive correlational study aimed to investigate the correlation between knowledge about COVID-19, educational needs, and degree of preventive behavior performance in 407 college students attending one University in Gyeonggi-do. Results : The subjects' knowledge score about COVID-19 was 12.46±1.39 points, average educational needs score was 29.16±3.14 points, and prevention behavior performance survey result was 35.50±3.61 points. Moreover, positive correlation was observed between the knowledge about COVID-19 and educational needs (r=.203, p<.001) and knowledge and preventive behavior performance (r=.140, p=.005). Further, educational needs and preventive behavior performance demonstrated a statistically significant positive relationship (r=.311, p<.001). Conclusion : Therefore, organizing an educational program to acquire accurate knowledge is necessary to make it a habit for college students to practice preventive behavior against COVID-19.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.269-275
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• 2022

Objective : The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting the characteristics of patients with head injuries. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with head injuries at a regional emergency medical center in South Korea. Methods : From April 2019 to November 2020, 350 patients with head injuries were admitted to our hospital. The study period was divided into the pre-COVID-19 (n=169) and COVID-19 (n=181) eras (10 months each). Patients with severe head injuries requiring surgery (n=74) were categorized into those who underwent surgery (n=41) and those who refused surgery (n=33). Results : Head injuries in pediatric patients (<3 years) were more frequent in the COVID-19 era than in the pre-COVID-19 era (8.8% vs. 3.6%, p=0.048). More patients refused surgery in the COVID-19 era than in the pre-COVID-19 era (57.9% vs. 30.6%, p=0.021). Refusal of surgery was associated with old age (67.7±14.5 vs. 52.4±19.1, p<0.001), marital status (married, 84.8% vs. 61.0%, p=0.037), unemployment (42.4% vs. 68.3%, p=0.034), COVID-19 era (66.7% vs. 39.0%, p=0.021), and lower Glasgow coma scale scores (6.12±3.08 vs. 10.6±3.80, p<0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that refusal of surgery was independently associated with old age (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.084; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.030-1.140; p=0.002), COVID-19 era (adjusted OR, 6.869; 95% CI, 1.624-29.054; p=0.009), and lower Glasgow coma scale scores (adjusted OR, 0.694; 95% CI, 0.568-0.848; p<0.001). Conclusion : We observed an increased prevalence of head injuries in pediatric patients (<3 years) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, among patients with severe head injuries requiring surgery, more patients refused to undergo surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.81 no.3
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• pp.583-590
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• 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading rapidly around the world. Several articles have so far reported on radiological findings of COVID-19 pneumonia. Herein, we present three cases of COVID-19 pneumonia in South Korea, and provide clinical information as well as chest radiograph and chest CT findings.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.171-188
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• 2020

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), first identified in China in December 2019, has widely spread worldwide and is an ongoing pandemic. It is expected that the ripple effect of COVID-19 on the global economy including the agricultural sector will increase substantially if not properly controlled shortly. This study examines the potential impact of COVID-19 on the Korean beef cattle sector and farm labor demand for Korean beef cattle using a dynamic partial equilibrium model. The agricultural production value and farm labor demand for Korean beef cattle in the scenario assuming pessimistic GDP growth rate (-1.2% in 2020) with no direct supply shocks fell by up to 4.00% and 0.67%, respectively, compared to the baseline which represents the future without COVID-19 outbreak. On the other hand, the agricultural production value and farm labor demand for Korean beef cattle in the scenario assuming both pessimistic GDP growth rate and supply shocks (-12.7% beef imports and + 2.4% feed cost in 2020) increased by up to 12.08% and 1.99%, respectively, compared to the baseline.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.46-56
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the factors influencing the turnover intention of nurses in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and general wards. Methods: Data were collected through a survey of 340 nurses at seven public hospitals in Gyeonggi Province from October 12 to October 30 in 2020. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression. Results: The job demand stress of nurses in COVID-19 wards was 63.99±8.05 points, which was lower than 65.77±7.35 points of nurses in general wards. The turnover intention of nurses in COVID-19 wards was 3.24±0.74 points, which was higher than the 3.06±0.67 points of those in general wards. The multiple regression analysis indicates that the factors affecting the turnover intention of the two groups (COVID-19 and general wards) were type of wards (β=-.15, p<.001), age (COVID-19 wards: β=-.37, p<.001, General wards: β=-.40, p<.001), job resource stress (COVID-19 wards: β=.52, p<.001, general indicates: β=.60, p<.001), and clinical experience in present wards (COVID-19: β=.13, p=.021). Conclusion: The results indicate that nurses who care for COVID-19 patients have higher turnover intentions than general nurses and suggests that a decrease in the job resource stress is vital for reducing nurse turnover intentions.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.103-109
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• 2022

In December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in China and spread rapidly around the world, infecting millions of people. Cases of COVID-19 infection were observed to lead to viral pneumonia. Thirty-five patients admitted to the Gyeonggi Medical Center, South Korea, between November 2020 to January 2021, were found to have been infected with the influenza virus A and B, which cause symptoms similar to COVID-19. The records of these patients and those of COVID-19 patients who visited the hospital for medical examination were compared. The study patients included thirty patients with COVID-19 and/or influenza, five of those with influenza alone. A group of 121 patients without infection was used as control. Patients with COVID-19 and influenza had significantly higher lactate dehydrogenase levels than the patients with COVID-19 alone. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was higher in patients with COVID-19 alone than in other groups. Significant clinical outliers were observed in the COVID-19 and influenza infection group compared with the COVID-19 alone group. These results are expected to play an important role in the analysis of the hematological data of infected patients and the comparison of simultaneous and single infection data to determine clinical symptoms and other signs. These results may also assist in the development of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.262-265
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• 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) poses an important occupational health risk to health workers (HWs) that has attracted global scrutiny. To date, several thousand HWs globally have been reported as infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus that causes the disease. It is therefore a public health priority for policymakers to understand risk factors for this vulnerable group to avert occupational transmission. A rapid review was carried out on 20 April 2020 on Covid-19 risk factors among HWs in PubMed, Google Scholar, and EBSCOHost Web (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE with Full Text, CINAHL with Full Text, APA PsycInfo, Health Source-Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition) and WHO Global Database. We also searched for preprints on the medRxiv database. We searched for reports, reviews, and primary observational studies (case control, case cross-over, cross-sectional, and cohort). The review included studies conducted among HWs with Covid-19 that reported risk factors irrespective of their sample size. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Lack of personal protective equipment, exposure to infected patients, work overload, poor infection control, and preexisting medical conditions were identified as risk factors for Covid-19 among HWs. In the context of Covid-19, HWs face an unprecedented occupational risk of morbidity and mortality. There is need for rapid development of sustainable measures that protect HWs from the pandemic.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.407-414
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• 2020

Objective : Since the first discovery of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), rapid and wide spread of the disease has been reported and the World Health Organization announced that a 'pandemic' has started. Up to date there is little known regarding the impact of this outbreak on spinal specialists' daily clinical practice. We intended to evaluate how COVID-19 has affected the number of spinal disease patients we meet and operate in daily practice. Methods : The de-identified data regarding number of patients visiting the spine clinic at a tertiary referral hospital and a secondary level hospital from January, February and March of 2017 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. The number of out-patient department (OPD) visits, number of emergency room (ER) visits as well as number of surgeries performed during the reviewed period were collected and analyzed, comparing 2020 to the previous 3 years. Results : The number of daily OPD visits showed a steady decrease starting from January, and presented a statistically significant decrease by early March 2020, compared to the previous 3 years. During the same period, decrease in number of daily ER visits was statistically significant as well. The number of elective surgeries or number of surgeries for patients admitted via ER during COVID-19 outbreak remained similar to that of 2017-2019 suggesting, despite the decrease of patients visiting the hospital for spinal diseases, those whom required surgery still visited the hospital. The results were consistant among other hospital level. Conclusion : The outbreak of COVID-19 affected our daily practice as OPD and ER visits reduced but did not affect the number of surgeries. We believe that this report will be informative to spinal specialists worldwide fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.68-75
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• 2021

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been spreading worldwide since December 2019. Hundreds of cases of children and adolescents with Kawasaki disease (KD)-like hyperinflammatory illness have been reported in Europe and the United States during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic with or without shock and cardiac dysfunction. These patients tested positive for the polymerase chain reaction or antibody test for SARS-CoV-2 or had a history of recent exposure to COVID-19. Clinicians managing such patients coined new terms for this new illness, such as COVID-19-associated hyperinflammatory response syndrome, pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19, or COVID-19-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The pathogenesis of MIS-C is unclear; however, it appears similar to that of cytokine storm syndrome. MIS-C shows clinical features similar to KD, but differences between them exist with respect to age, sex, and racial distributions and proportions of patients with shock or cardiac dysfunction. Recommended treatments for MIS-C include intravenous immunoglobulin, corticosteroids, and inotropic or vasopressor support. For refractory patients, monoclonal antibody to interleukin-6 receptor (tocilizumab), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (anakinra), or monoclonal antibody to tumor necrosis factor (infliximab) may be recommended. Patients with coronary aneurysms require aspirin or anticoagulant therapy. The prognosis of MIS-C seemed favorable without sequelae in most patients despite a reported mortality rate of approximately 1.5%.