• 대한한방소아과학회지
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.17-34
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• 2023

Objectives Few studies to date reviewed herbal medicines prescribed to pediatric patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to summarize and analyze these herbal medicines. Methods Nine databases were searched for studies published up until November 24, 2020. Nine case reports and one case series involving 17 pediatric patients were included in the study. The clinical symptoms, interventions, outcomes, pattern identification, composition, and frequency of herbal medicine administration were analyzed. Results The symptoms of pediatric patients with COVID-19 treated with herbal medicines were mild or moderate. Herbal medicines have been used to alleviate symptoms, such as fever and cough. No adverse events were reported. All of the patients who received herbal medicines were discharged from the hospital after symptomatic relief. Pattern identification revealed that the lungs were the most affected organs. Epidemic toxins, wind, dampness, and heat were the primary etiological factors. More pediatric patients with COVID-19 were prescribed a combination of herbal and Western medicines than herbal medicines alone. The frequently used herbs include Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Lonicerae Flos, Scutellariae Radix, Armeniacae Semen, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium, and Astragali Radix. Conclusions Our review can serve as a reference for the treatment of COVID-19 in children.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제65권4호
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• pp.167-171
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• 2022

In the era of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, countries worldwide have implemented several nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to contain its spread before vaccines and treatments were developed. NPIs included social distancing, mask wearing, intensive contact tracing and isolation, and sanitization. In addition to their effectiveness at preventing the rapid spread of COVID-19, NPIs have caused secondary changes in the epidemiology of other infectious diseases. In Korea, various NPI stages have been implemented since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 on January 20, 2020. This review, based on a PubMed database search, shows the impact of NPIs on several infectious diseases other than severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in the COVID-19 pandemic era in Korea.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제39권2호
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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.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.313-324
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• 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which causes serious respiratory illness such as pneumonia and lung failure, was first reported in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, China. The etiological agent of COVID-19 has been confirmed as a novel coronavirus, now known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is most likely originated from zoonotic coronaviruses, like SARS-CoV, which emerged in 2002. Within a few months of the first report, SARS-CoV-2 had spread across China and worldwide, reaching a pandemic level. As COVID-19 has triggered enormous human casualties and serious economic loss posing global threat, an understanding of the ongoing situation and the development of strategies to contain the virus's spread are urgently needed. Currently, various diagnostic kits to test for COVID-19 are available and several repurposing therapeutics for COVID-19 have shown to be clinically effective. In addition, global institutions and companies have begun to develop vaccines for the prevention of COVID-19. Here, we review the current status of epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and vaccine development for COVID-19.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.16-27
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• 2022

우리 나라는 2022년 3월에 5-11세 소아의 코로나19 예방접종을 시작하였다. 5-11세 소아에서 중증 코로나19가 발생할 위험은 높지 않기 때문에, 이 연령에 대한 코로나19 예방접종 정책은 각 국가의 상황에 따라 상이하다. 본 논문에서는 해외 주요 국가의 5-11세 소아 코로나19 예방접종 관련 정책을 살펴보고, 5-11세 코로나19 예방접종을 시작하는 우리 나라에서 고려할 사항에 대하여 언급하였다.

• 한방비만학회지
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.77-85
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• 2022

While the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is gradually turning into an endemic disease, concerns about post COVID-19 conditions (Long COVID) are emerging. Obesity is a major risk factor for severe complications of COVID-19, and COVID-19 has a wide range of effects on obesity and metabolic function. This paper aims to examine the interaction between COVID-19 and obesity, the effects and mechanisms of long COVID on obesity, and the role of Korean medicine on long COVID-related obesity. Obesity may worsen with cardiometabolic damage and psychosocial insecurity during COVID-19 and long COVID-induced neuroinflammation, systemic inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and hypoxia also may aggravate obesity. Korean Medicine treatments, which have been widely used to treat obesity, have the potential to improve obesity in the era of long COVID by intervening in these mechanisms.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.24-34
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• 2020

대한소아감염학회와 질병관리본부 중앙방역대책본부는 소아청소년 코로나바이러스감염증-19 (coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19) 대응지침을 발표하였다. 사례정의 및 조치사항을 신생아, 영아, 소아청소년에 맞추어 정리하였으며, 보호자 관리에 대한 지침을 마련하였다. 본 종설에서는 우리나라 소아청소년 COVID-19 대응지침의 내용을 소개하고자 한다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.11-19
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• 2022

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Patients with severe COVID-19 exhibit hyper-inflammatory responses characterized by excessive activation of myeloid cells, including monocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils, and a plethora of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Accumulating evidence also indicates that hyper-inflammation is a driving factor for severe progression of the disease, which has prompted the development of anti-inflammatory therapies for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Corticosteroids, IL-6R inhibitors, and JAK inhibitors have demonstrated promising results in treating patients with severe disease. In addition, diverse forms of exosomes that exert anti-inflammatory functions have been tested experimentally for the treatment of COVID-19. Here, we briefly describe the immunological mechanisms of the hyper-inflammatory responses in patients with severe COVID-19. We also summarize current anti-inflammatory therapies for the treatment of severe COVID-19 and novel exosome-based therapeutics that are in experimental stages.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제64권7호
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• pp.322-327
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• 2021

School closures during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have been outlined in studies from different disciplines, including economics, sociology, mathematical modeling, epidemiology, and public health. In this review, we discuss the implications of school closures in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Modeling studies of the effects of school closures, largely derived from the pandemic influenza model, on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 produced conflicting results. Earlier studies assessed the risk of school reopening by modeling transmission across schools and communities; however, it remains unclear whether the risk is due to increased transmission in adults or children. The empirical findings of the impact of school closures on COVID-19 outbreaks suggest no clear effect, likely because of heterogeneity in community infection pressure, differences in school closure strategies, or the use of multiple interventions. The benefits of school closings are unclear and not readily quantifiable; however, they must be weighed against the potential high social costs, which can also negatively affect the health of this generation.

• 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.