• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.180-187
• /
• 2023

In Korea, >90% of children and adolescents aged <19 years have been infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) since 2020. Among confirmed cases of pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 40-60% of patients developed neurologic symptoms such as seizures, headache, and encephalitis. Herein, we report the case of a 3-year-old female patient with SARS-CoV-2 infection who presented with seizures and altered consciousness and was diagnosed with COVID-19 encephalitis. The patient recovered after treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, high-dose steroids, anti-seizure drugs, and an anti-viral agent. She was discharged after regaining the ability to speak words and walk alone on hospital day 39. Complete recovery was observed at the 1-year follow-up. The findings in this case suggest that early detection and active intervention is associated with better outcomes in patients with COVID-19 encephalitis.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.785-807
• /
• 2020

The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unprecedentedly changing the world since its outbreak in late 2019. Using the collected the data related to COVID-19 and the social media user data from a mobile application market research agency from January 25 to April 7, this study empirically examines the effect of the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide, the number news COVID-19, and the enforcement of social distancing measures on the daily active users (DAU) of two social media services - Twitter and Facebook - in South Korea. There are three important findings from the results of econometric analysis. First, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide has a negative effect on the DAU of social media. Second, the number of COVID-19 news is negatively associated with the DAU of social media. Finally, the implementation of social distancing measures has no significant effect on the DAU of the social media. Theoretical implications and managerial guidelines are also discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.83 no.2
• /
• pp.378-386
• /
• 2022

With the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is an increasing interest in the sequelae and care in recovered patients. Although the long-term sequelae of COVID-19 are still unknown, recently published reports suggest that some of the patients have persistent symptoms and show radiologic abnormalities after discharge. Herein, we present cases of four patients with previous COVID-19 infection manifesting pulmonary sequelae, including pulmonary fibrosis or organizing pneumonia pattern with persistent dyspnea after recovery.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.252-266
• /
• 2020

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious pneumonia that has spread throughout the world. It is caused by a novel, single stranded RNA virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Genetic analysis revealed that, phylogenetically, the SARS-CoV-2 is related to severe acute respiratory syndrome-like viruses seen in bats. Because of this, bats are considered as a possible primary reservoir. The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. As of May 27, 2020, more than 5,406,282 confirmed cases, and 343,562 confirmed deaths have been reported worldwide. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or antiviral drugs available against COVID-19. Newly developed vaccines are in the first stage of clinical trials, and it may take a few months to a few years for their commercialization. At present, remdesivir and chloroquine are the promising drugs for treating COVID-19 patients. In this review, we summarize the diversity, genetic variations, primary reservoirs, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment strategies, and future prospects with respect to controlling the spread of COVID-19.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.42
• /
• pp.12.1-12.9
• /
• 2020

Coronavirus is an enveloped virus with positive-sense single-stranded RNA. Coronavirus infection in humans mainly affects the upper respiratory tract and to a lesser extent the gastrointestinal tract. Clinical symptoms of coronavirus infections can range from relatively mild (similar to the common cold) to severe (bronchitis, pneumonia, and renal involvement). The disease caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was called Covid-19 by the World Health Organization in February 2020. Face-to-face communication and consistent exposure to body fluids such as blood and saliva predispose dental care workers at serious risk for 2019-nCoV infection. As demonstrated by the recent coronavirus outbreak, information is not enough. During dental practice, blood and saliva can be scattered. Accordingly, dental practice can be a potential risk for dental staff, and there is a high risk of cross-infection. This article addresses all information collected to date on the virus, in accordance with the guidelines of international health care institutions, and provides a comprehensive protocol for managing possible exposure to patients or those suspected of having coronavirus.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.14-21
• /
• 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.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.47-55
• /
• 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continuously influences on the health and well-being of people and communities worldwide. The purpose of this study was to explore the published research articles in the fields of nursing and health during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research design is an exploratory study. Samples are the abstracts of the articles from a literature database, PubMed, that were published from January 1st, 2020 to April 15th, 2021. We used a MeSH term, 'nursing' and "COVID-19" to retrieve articles that are related to COVID-19. Five hundred and fifty-five articles were retrieved. Two hundred and sixteen articles were excluded as they were not met the inclusion criteria. The total number of articles used in this study was three hundred and thirty-nine. The average number of articles published during the data collection period was 21.9. Seven topics were discovered from the abstracts of the articles: COVID-19 management and guidance; Perinatal COVID-19 and breastfeeding; Nurse; Health service and support; Patient care; Research; and Education and experience. This study revealed some interesting topics from the articles related to COVID-19 and provided some sense of research areas that may be interesting and allow us to develop important research questions about nursing science and nursing practice.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.13.1-13.24
• /
• 2023

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is one of the most consequential global health crises in over a century. Since its discovery in 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to mutate into different variants and sublineages, rendering previously potent treatments and vaccines ineffective. With significant strides in clinical and pharmaceutical research, different therapeutic strategies continue to be developed. The currently available treatments can be broadly classified based on their potential targets and molecular mechanisms. Antiviral agents function by disrupting different stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection, while immune-based treatments mainly act on the human inflammatory response responsible for disease severity. In this review, we discuss some of the current treatments for COVID-19, their mode of actions, and their efficacy against variants of concern. This review highlights the need to constantly evaluate COVID-19 treatment strategies to protect high risk populations and fill in the gaps left by vaccination.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.65 no.4
• /
• pp.153-166
• /
• 2022

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a novel multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has been reported worldwide since the first cases were reported in Europe in April 2020. MIS-C is temporally associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and shows Kawasaki disease (KD)-like features. The epidemiological and clinical characteristics in COVID-19, KD, and MIS-C differ, but severe cases of each disease share similar clinical and laboratory findings such as a protracted clinical course, multiorgan involvement, and similar activated biomarkers. These findings suggest that a common control system of the host may act against severe disease insult. To solve the enigmas, we proposed the protein-homeostasis-system hypothesis in that every disease involves etiological substances and the host's immune system controls them by their size and biochemical properties. Also, it is proposed that the etiological agents of KD and MIS-C might be certain strains in the microbiota of human species and etiological substances in severe COVID-19, KD, and MIS-C originate from pathogen-infected cells. Since disease severity depends on the amounts of inflammation-inducing substances and corresponding immune activation in the early stage of the disease, an early proper dose of corticosteroids and/or intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) may help reduce morbidity and possibly mortality among patients with these diseases. Corticosteroids are low cost and an analogue of host-origin cortisol among immune modulators. This study's findings will help clinicians treating severe COVID-19, KD, and MIS-C, especially in developing countries, where IVIG and biologics supplies are insufficient.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.73-82
• /
• 2023

Multiple studies have reported on unilateral axillary adenopathy following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination, which is currently recognized as a common finding. Here, we present a series of eight adult patients with reactive axillary lymphadenopathy following COVID-19 vaccination, in whom the follow-up ultrasonography (US) showed resolution of a previously noted unilateral axillary adenopathy. From March 2021 to March 2022, 2,599 consecutive women underwent breast US in Jeju National University Hospital. We identified 10 patients with unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy following COVID-19 vaccination detected on the breast US. The 10 patients were recommended for follow-up US. Two patients were lost to follow-up, whereas the remaining eight patients underwent follow-up US, in whom resolution of the unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy was noted. Radiologists should be aware of evolving guidelines for evaluating and managing axillary lymphadenopathy to avoid false positive biopsies. Recent studies on lymphadenopathy following COVID-19 vaccination show that a prolonged duration until resolution is often observed. Therefore, a follow-up US examination at least 12 weeks after vaccination may be reasonable. Furthermore, management guidelines should include a risk-stratified approach considering both vaccination timing and the patient's overall risk of metastatic disease.