• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.134-142
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• 2023

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the scope of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of pregnant women about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Materials and Methods: A total of 886 pregnant women were recruited for the study. A cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted on these selected participants. Data about past infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), SARS-CoV-2 infection of closely related people, and deaths due to COVID-19 among their relatives were questioned. Results: The rate of vaccination was higher (64.1%) in pregnant women with higher education levels. Informing about the vaccine, especially by health professionals, showed that the rates of vaccination (25%) increased (p<0.001). In addition, a significant increase was observed in vaccination rates with increasing age and financial income (p<0.001). Conclusion: The main limitation of our study is that the vaccine, which was approved for "emergency use", was just started to be administered to pregnant women during the study. Our findings show that our target audience, low-income, low-education, younger pregnant women should be given more attention than those who apply to the doctor for routine follow-up.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.108-116
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• 2023

Purpose: This study investigated the differences between patients with acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning who visited the emergency department (ED) before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This was a single-center retrospective observational study. Patients with CO poisoning who visited the ED during the period from February 2020 to January 2023 were classified as the COVID-19 pandemic group, and those from February 2019 to January 2020 were classified as the non-pandemic group. Patients' medical records were reviewed, their demographic and clinical characteristics were compared, and the length of stay in ED was checked. The time from admission to the ED to the start of hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) was defined as the door-to-HBO time, and this parameter was compared between both groups. Results: In total, 672 patients were included in this study. The proportion of intentional poisoning was significantly higher in the COVID-19 pandemic group than in the non-pandemic group (p=0.028). The proportion of intentional poisoning significantly increased in the 20- to 29-year-old age group during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.001). In addition, it took longer to initiate HBO in the COVID-19 pandemic group than in the non-pandemic group (p=0.001). Conclusion: These findings suggest that pandemics of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, increase the proportion of intentional CO poisoning, and it may take longer to initiate HBO after visiting the ED. Efforts will be needed to decrease intentional CO poisoning and length of stay in ED.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.1475-1487
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to understand the experience of nurses working in public health centers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify its essence. The subjects who had worked for more than one year during the period of COVID-19 pandemic in three county health centers in C province were selected as research participants and analyzed according to the phenomenological method proposed by Colaizzi. As a result of the study, three themes were derived: Negative feelings about COVID-19, A firm sense of professional calling, Leading the way in preparing a system to respond to new infectious diseases. Based on this, it was confirmed that it is necessary to strengthen psychological problem support for nurses, improve biased work, support professional manpower, support systematic education, and prepare appropriate compensation system. Therefore, based on the results of this study, active discussions should be made with various interests in order to establish a support system for nurses who are major personnel in the health care system and to prepare an effective infectious disease response strategy.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.643-662
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand an individuals' COVID-19 vaccine acceptance intention during the peak of the pandemic by utilizing the coping theory and technology threat avoidance theory (TTAT) as a framework. Specifically, we focused on understanding how inward and outward emotion-focused coping (EFC), such as psychological distancing and emotional support seeking, affect problem-focused behavior (PFC), which is vaccine acceptance. Furthermore, we investigate how the individuals' cognitive appraisal to- ward COVID-19, consisted of perceived threat and perceived avoidability act as an antecedent of EFC. Methods: A PLS-SEM analysis was conducted to find the causal relation between the variables. An online survey was conducted targeting vaccination recipients on April, 2021. Participants were asked about their perception toward the virus, their coping strategy, and vaccine acceptance intention. A total of 186 valid samples were collected and used for the analysis. Furthermore, to analyze the out-of-sample predictive power of the research model and ensure the generalizability of the results, a PLSpredict analysis was conducted. Results: The results of the PLS-SEM analysis show that perceived threat toward COVID-19 significantly affect an individuals' EFC strategy. Furthermore, both types of inward EFC (psychological distancing, wishful thinking) negatively affected vaccine acceptance intention. On the other hand, emotional support seeking, which is a type of outward EFC, positively affected vaccine acceptance. The result of the PLSpredict analysis confirms the generalizability of the PLS-SEM result. Conclusion: The results of our study could be utilized to decrease vaccine hesitancy and prevent global pandemics by accelerating and increasing vaccination. Our study provides several meaningful implications to researchers and practitioners regarding vaccine acceptance and threat coping behavior.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.467-475
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• 2023

Background: To mitigate the spread of Covid-19, nurses infected with the virus were required to isolate themselves from their families and community. Isolated patients were reported to have experienced mental distress, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and suicide. Though studies have reported the psychological impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, less is known about the lived experiences of nurses who survived Covid-19 infection in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to study the lived experiences of registered nurses who survived Covid-19 disease. In-depth interviews were conducted among nurses diagnosed with Covid-19 from two hospitals in Kenya between March and May, 2021. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit registered nurses. Data were analyzed using Giorgi's steps of analysis. Results: The study included ten nurses between 29 and 45 years of age. Nurses' experiences encompassed three themes: diagnosis reaction, consequences, and coping. Reactions to the diagnosis included fear, anxiety, and sadness. The consequence of the diagnosis and isolation was stigma, isolation, and loneliness. Nurses coping mechanisms included acceptance, creating routines, support, and spirituality. Conclusion: Our findings aid in understanding how nurses experienced Covid-19 infection as patients and will provide evidence-based content for supporting nurses in future pandemics. Moreover, as we acknowledge the heroic contribution of frontline healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is prudent to recognize the considerable occupational risk as they balance their duty to care, and the risk of infection to themselves and their families.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.87-100
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• 2024

Modern logistics significantly influences the globalization and internationalization processes. Logistics systems are becoming increasingly important in today's rapidly changing environment. On the other hand, the development of global economic integration, business globalization contributes to the creation and development of international logistics systems and global supply chains towards the international market. The aim of the article was to investigate the national logistics systems of developing countries in the context of their integration capabilities. The main methods used in this study are statistical analysis, index, graphical and analytical methods, methods for estimating structural dynamic shifts, comparisons. Commonly used methods of economic research, as well as statistical analysis and interstate comparisons, economic modelling (trend analysis to determine the forecast level of LPI for Ukraine), etc. were also involved. It is noted that the problem of development of logistics systems in developing countries was insufficiently covered in scientific research. The study suggests that the integration capabilities of national logistics systems are determined by the logistics performance of each country and the favourable logistics environment for integration transformations. This allowed analysing the state of the logistics systems of Poland, Bulgaria, India and Ukraine, and identifying the factors that determine it. The logistics environment of Poland, Bulgaria, India and Ukraine, as well as the factors of its formation are evaluated. The components of the logistic portrait of the country in the context of integration capabilities of the logistic system are offered. Trend analysis of LPI was carried out on the example of Ukraine, which showed positive trends in the logistics system and allowed drawing conclusions about increasing integration into international logistics channels based on its geopolitical location, improving the characteristics of the logistics environment, including customs regulation, and improving the efficiency of the national logistics system. Prospects for further research involve studies of the impact of pandemics, globalization, digitalization on logistics systems, including that of developing countries.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.134-152
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• 2024

Viruses mutate and form quasispecies within the host, from which the next generation is selected. Studying the selected mutations of an animal virus across different host species can aid in predicting how the virus might evolve to manage future potential pandemics in humans. In this study, both high-passaged (p44) and low-passaged (p4) Shaan viruses of bat origin in MARC-145 cell lines, derived from African green monkey kidney, were passaged once into human A549, HEK-293, and HRT-18 cell lines as different host species models. High-throughput sequencing data showed that there were distinct selected mutations and single nucleotide variants (SNVs) between the low- and high-passaged Shaan viruses in MARC-145 cells. After host switching, these mutation patterns were consistently observed among the same host cells in triplicate experiments, suggesting a host cell-specific selection pattern for the progeny of Shaan viruses. Notably, HRT-18 cells of colorectal adenocarcinoma origin produced more unique selected mutations and unique SNVs. While Shaan virus-specific transcripts associated with the N gene were most abundant in MARC-145, A549, and HEK-293 cells, those associated with the M gene were most abundant in HRT-18 cells. After host switching, the relative viral RNA levels in the HRT-18 cells were significantly higher than in A549 and HEK-293 cells. Thus, this study provides evidence of host-specific mutation patterns by cell type and host cells in the evolution of Shaan virus.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.107-116
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• 2024

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of infection control performance, infection control fatigue, and social support on the burnout of nurses working at National Safe Hospitals during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and to use that data to suggest methods to reduce burnout among nurses. Methods: From June 30 to September 30, 2021, data were collected from 144 nurses who both consented to participate in the study and had worked for more than six months in National Safe Hospitals with 300 or more beds in the Gyeonggi-do Province in Korea. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Results: The factors affecting nurses' burnout at National Safe Hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic were found to be infection control fatigue (β=.60, p<.001) and social support (β=-.27, p<.001). The explanatory power of these factors was 37.0%. Conclusion: Nurses' burnout at National Safe Hospitals was found to be at a moderate level. Burnout should be reduced through human, material, and administrative support, all of which can reduce infection-control fatigue. It is also necessary to develop both a non-face-to-face social-support-reinforcement program, considering restrictions mandated by infectious-disease pandemics, and a long-term intervention strategy to prevent burnout.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.103-112
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• 2023

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in late 2019, had a profound impact on global public health and disrupted the daily lives of people worldwide. Particularly, university students faced a challenging situation as their university life underwent a drastic transformation due to long-term remote learning and isolation measures. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between changes in daily life during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and depressive symptoms among university students aged between 19 and 29 in Korea. Methods: We analyzed data from the nationally representative 2020 Community Health Survey (CHS). Among the 229,269 participants, 9,279 university students aged 19-29, either enrolled or on leave, were selected. After excluding 401 cases with missing values, the final sample comprised 8,878 individuals. Using multivariate logistic regression with a complex sample design, we explored the association between daily life changes during the COVID-19 pandemic and depressive symptoms. Results: Changes in daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with depressive symptoms in Korean university students aged 19 to 29, even after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, health-related factors, and COVID-19-related aspects (OR=1.28, 95% CI=1.09~1.50). Conclusion: Our study suggests that when examining the impact of COVID-19 on health issues, it is crucial to consider the changes in daily life caused by the pandemic. These findings can provide insights into the psychological well-being of university students during times of crisis.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.37-46
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• 2024

This study was designed to identify factors affecting polyclinic (clinical practice) during COVID-19. Fourth-year medical students at K Medical University in Daejeon, South Korea were recruited, and 64 medical students ultimately agreed to participate in a survey about polyclinics in a regional emergency center over 4 weeks. Satisfy answers for 5^th grade and 6^th grade was 15 (53.6%) and 13 (46.4%) respectively. Dissatisfy answers of observation of the ICU for 5^th grade and 6^th grade was 10 (27.8%) and 26 (72.2%) respectively. Thus, there were more satisfy answers in 5^th grade and less satisfy answers in 6^th grade(p<0.05). Based on the results of confirming significance for regression coefficient, several factors influencing the polyclinic were identified, and the following categories showed statistical significance (p<0.05): for 6^th grade, satisfy answers of the clinic hours showed 3.656 times more than dissatisfy answers, exempt from the operation room showed 21.596 times more than dissatisfy answers, observation of the intensive unit care (ICU) showed 0.054 times less than dissatisfy answers, and cares of the COVID-19 patients showed 6.962 times more than dissatisfy answers. We suggest that hybrid or virtual medical education such as the polyclinic utilizing standardized patients (SP) or augmented reality (AR) technologies at the virtual hospital or the real hospital. More medical students would be encouraged to participate the problem-based learning (PBL) or team-based learning (TBL) in so-called 'hybrid or virtual' polyclinic.