Clinical Course and Outcomes of Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection: a Preliminary Report of the First 28 Patients from the Korean Cohort Study on COVID-19

Eu Suk Kim,Bum Sik Chin,강창경,Nam Joong Kim,Yu Min Kang,Jae-Phil Choi,Dong Hyun Oh,Jeong-Han Kim,Boram Koh,Seong Eun Kim,Na Ra Yun,Jae Hoon Lee,Jin Yong Kim,Yeonjae Kim,Ji Hwan Bang,송경호,Hong Bin Kim,Ki- 대한의학회 2020 Journal of Korean medical science Vol.35 No.13

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-infected pneumonia emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019. In this retrospective multicenter study, we investigated the clinical course and outcomes of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from early cases in Republic of Korea. Methods: All of the cases confirmed by real time polymerase chain reaction were enrolled from the 1st to the 28th patient nationwide. Clinical data were collected and analyzed for changes in clinical severity including laboratory, radiological, and virologic dynamics during the progression of illness. Results: The median age was 40 years (range, 20–73 years) and 15 (53.6%) patients were male. The most common symptoms were cough (28.6%) and sore throat (28.6%), followed by fever (25.0%). Diarrhea was not common (10.7%). Two patients had no symptoms. Initial chest X-ray (CXR) showed infiltration in 46.4% of the patients, but computed tomography scan confirmed pneumonia in 88.9% (16/18) of the patients. Six patients (21.4%) required supplemental oxygen therapy, but no one needed mechanical ventilation. Lymphopenia was more common in severe cases. Higher level of C-reactive protein and worsening of chest radiographic score was observed during the 5–7 day period after symptom onset. Viral shedding was high from day 1 of illness, especially from the upper respiratory tract (URT). Conclusion: The prodromal symptoms of COVID-19 were mild and most patients did not have limitations of daily activity. Viral shedding from URT was high from the prodromal phase. Radiological pneumonia was common from the early days of illness, but it was frequently not evident in simple CXR. These findings could be plausible explanations for the easy and rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the community.

Intravenous human endothelial progenitor cell administration into aged mice enhances embryo development and oocyte quality by reducing inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis

KIM, Geon A,LEE, Yeonjae,KIM, Hyun Jin,OH, Hyun Ju,KANG, Sung Keun,RA, Jeong Chan,LEE, Byeong Chun The Japanese Society of Veterinary Science 2018 The Journal of veterinary medical science Vol.80 No.12

<P>Stem cell therapy has been proposed to restore the function and structure of injured tissues. In the present study, we investigated the ability of human endothelial progenitor cells (hEPCs) to attenuate ovarian aging and dysfunction. Female ICR mice aged 4 and 6 months were injected with cultured hEPCs. Cultured hEPCs were injected intravenously twice with 5 × 10<SUP>4</SUP> cells with a 4 day interval. After pregnant mare serum gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin stimulation, oocytes and ovaries of aged mice were collected, cumulus-free oocytes were activated by SrCl<SUB>2</SUB> and gene expression levels related to inflammation, apoptosis, follicle development and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in ovaries were compared. Administration of hEPCs attenuated the level of inflammatory cytokines and adverse apoptotic factor, as well as reducing ER stress in the ovaries. Increased cleavage and blastocyst formation rates and cell numbers in blastocysts from hEPCs-treated aged mice vs. same aged control mice demonstrated a protective function of hEPCs against reproductive aging. Based on these data, we suggest that treatment with hEPCs attenuates reproductive aging and dysfunction potentially via regulation of inflammation, apoptosis and ER stress.</P>

Real-World Effectiveness of Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir and Its Acceptability in High-Risk COVID-19 Patients

Kim Min-Kyung,Lee Kyung-Shin,Ham Sin Young,Choi Youn Young,Lee Eunyoung,Lee Seungjae,Lee Bora,Jeon Jaehyun,Chin BumSik,Kim Yeonjae,Kim Gayeon,Jang Hee-Chang,Choi Jae-Phil,Park Sang-Won 대한의학회 2023 Journal of Korean medical science Vol.38 No.35

Background: Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is highly effective in preventing severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in high-risk patients with mild-to-moderate severity. However, real-world performance data are limited, and the drug is not so acceptable to the COVID-19 patients at high risk who need it in Korea. Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, we conducted a propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study on patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at high risk for a severe disease who were hospitalized at four hospitals in South Korea from February 2022 to April 2022. A total of 236 patients in the treatment group (administered nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) and 236 in the matched control group (supportive care only) were analyzed for the primary outcome, i.e., the time to oxygen support-free survival. The secondary outcome was a composite result of disease progression. The reason for not prescribing nirmatrelvir-ritonavir to the indicated patients was also investigated. Results: The treatment group showed significantly longer oxygen support-free survival than the matched control group (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.01–0.31; P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age (aHR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00–1.07), National Early Warning Score-2 at admission (aHR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.08–1.71), nirmatrelvir-ritonavir treatment, female sex (aHR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.15–0.88), and time from symptom onset to admission (aHR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.48–0.95) were significantly associated with oxygen therapy. However, none of the factors were related to the composite outcome. In the unmatched control group, 19.9% of 376 patients had documented explanations for nirmatrelvirritonavir non-prescription, and 44.0% of these were due to contraindication criteria. In the treatment group, 10.9% of patients discontinued the medication primarily because of adverse events (71.4%), with gastrointestinal symptoms being the most common (50.0%). Conclusion: Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir treatment significantly reduced oxygen therapy requirements in high-risk patients with COVID-19 during the omicron variant surge in South Korea. Physicians are encouraged to consider the active use of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir and to be watchful for gastrointestinal symptoms during medication.

Molecular Epidemiology of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolated from Community-Acquired Urinary Tract Infections in Korea

Kim Bongyoung,Seo Mi-Ran,Kim Jieun,Kim Yeonjae,Wie Seong-Heon,기모란,Cho Yong Kyun,Lim Seungkwan,Lee Jin Seo,Kwon Ki Tae,이혁,Cheong Hee Jin,Park Dae Won,Ryu Seong Yeol,Chung Moon-Hyun,Pai Hyunjoo 대한감염학회 2020 Infection and Chemotherapy Vol.52 No.2

Background: Escherichia coli is the predominant causative pathogen for community-acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs), and the increase in fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli is of great concern in Korea. The objectives of this study were to investigate the genotypic characteristics and molecular epidemiology of ciprofloxacin-resistant (CIP-R) E. coli isolated from community-acquired UTIs in Korea. Materials and Methods: E. coli samples isolated from the blood or urine were collected from patients with community-acquired acute pyelonephritis aged 15 years and more who were admitted to 12 Korean hospitals from 1st April 2010 to 29th February 2012. Phylogenetic typing, multilocus sequence typing, and molecular characterization of β-lactamase and plasmidmediated quinolone resistance determinants were performed for CIP-R E. coli isolates. Results: A total of 569 E. coli isolates were collected, and 122 (21.4%) isolates were CIP-R isolates. The most prevalent sequence type (ST) was ST131 (28.7%, 35/122), followed by ST393 (14.7%, 18/122), ST1193 (13.1%, 16/122), ST38 (9.0%, 11/122), and ST405 (8.2%, 10/122). The antimicrobial resistance rates of ST131 to cefepime (22.9%, 8/35), ST38 to gentamicin (100%, 11/11), and ST405 to cefotaxime (66.7%, 6/9) were significantly higher than the resistance rates of all other STs combined. Notably, 40% (4/10) of ST405 clones produced extendedspectrum β-lactamases and were co-resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. aac(6′)-1b-cr (20%, 7/35) and CTX-M-14 (40%, 4/10) were more frequently observed in ST131 and ST405 compared with other clones, respectively. Conclusions: Among the CIP-R uropathogenic E. coli isolates in this study, ST131, ST38, and ST405 were specifically associated with antimicrobial resistance.

Characteristics of Nickel and Graphene Composite Plating Layer for PEM Fuel Cell

Yeonjae Kim(김연재),Yeong-Do Park(박영도),Dae-Geun Nam(남대근) 한국신재생에너지학회 2015 한국신재생에너지학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2015 No.11

Exploration of Middle-Aged Women's Crisis Management Types Using the Q-methodology

Yeonja Kim,You Jung Kim,Young Kim 보안공학연구지원센터 2015 International Journal of u- and e- Service, Scienc Vol.8 No.11

This research has been conducted to explore the categories and management types of middle-aged women in relation to when they come across crisis during the period of middle-age, climateric or so-called menopause. There were 32 participants in this study who were middle-aged women, and among the participants we overall identified 6 types of crisis management. 8 participants fell under Type 1 - "active responders", 5 participants fell under Type 2 - "improvement-seekers", 4 participants fell under Type 3 and were "avoiders", 4 participants fell under Type 4 - " religion-reliers", 6 participants fell under Type 5 - "family-reliers”, and 4 participants fell under Type 6 - "independent-seekers".

Clinical Characteristics of 40 Patients Infected With the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant in Korea

Kim Min-Kyung,Lee Bora,Choi Youn Young,Um Jihye,Lee Kyung-Shin,Sung Ho Kyung,Kim Yeonjae,Park Jun-Sun,Lee Myungsun,Jang Hee-Chang,Bang Ji Hwan,Chung Ki-hyun,Jeon Jaehyun 대한의학회 2022 Journal of Korean medical science Vol.37 No.3

Since severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 variant B.1.1.529 (omicron) was first reported to the World Health Organization on November 24, 2021, the cases of the omicron variant have been detected in more than 90 countries over the last month. We investigated the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the first 40 patients with the omicron variant who had been isolated at the National Medical Center in South Korea during December 4–17, 2021. The median age of the patients was 39.5 years. Twenty-two patients (55%) were women. Seventeen patients (42.5%) were fully vaccinated, and none were reinfected with the omicron. Eighteen (45%) had recent international travel history. Half of the patients (19, 47.5%) were asymptomatic, while the others had mild symptoms. Six patients (15%) showed lung infiltrations on chest image; however, none required supplemental oxygen. These mild clinical features are consistent with recent case reports on the omicron variant from other countries.

Prevalence and Burden of Human Adenovirus-Associated Acute Respiratory Illness in the Republic of Korea Military, 2013 to 2022

Kim Donghoon,Lee Eunyoung,Eom Jungmin,Kim Yeonjae,Kwon Soon-Hwan,Oh Hong Sang,Huh Kyungmin,Park Hyesook,Jung Jaehun,Park Bomi 대한의학회 2024 Journal of Korean medical science Vol.39 No.4

Background: Human adenovirus (HAdV) is a common cause of acute respiratory disease (ARD) and has raised significant concerns within the Korean military. Here, we conducted a comprehensive epidemiological analysis of HAdV-associated ARD by evaluating its prevalence, clinical outcomes, and prognosis. Methods: We reviewed data from multiple sources, including the New Defense Medical Information System, Defense Medical Statistical Information System, Ministry of National Defense, Army Headquarters, Navy Headquarters, Air Force Headquarters, and Armed Forces Medical Command. We analyzed data of patients who underwent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for respiratory viruses between January 2013 and July 2022 in all 14 Korean military hospitals. The analysis included the PCR test results, demographic characteristics, health care utilization, and prognosis including types of treatments received, incidence of pneumonia, and mortality. Results: Among the 23,830 individuals who underwent PCR testing at Korean military hospitals, 44.78% (10,670 cases) tested positive for respiratory viruses. Across all military types and ranks, HAdV was the most prevalent virus, with a total of 8,580 patients diagnosed, among HAdV, influenza virus, human metapneumovirus, human parainfluenza virus, and human respiratory syncytial virus. HAdV-infected patients exhibited higher rates of healthcare use compared to non-HAdV-infected patients, including a greater number of emergency visits (1.04 vs. 1.02) and outpatient visits (1.31 vs. 1.27), longer hospitalizations (8.14 days vs. 6.84 days), and extended stays in the intensive care unit (5.21 days vs. 3.38 days). Furthermore, HAdV-infected patients had a higher proportion of pneumonia cases (65.79% vs. 48.33%) and greater likelihood of receiving advanced treatments such as high flow nasal cannula or continuous renal replacement therapy. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that HAdV posed a significant public health concern within the Korean military prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Given the potential for a resurgence of outbreaks in the post-COVID-19 era, proactive measures, such as education, environmental improvements, and the development of HAdV vaccines, are crucial for effectively preventing future outbreaks.

장애인용 중장년 직업역량검사 개발 및 타당화 연구

김동일(Kim Dongil),김원호(Kim Wonho),이주영(Lee Juyoung),이연재(Lee Yeonjae) 한국장애인고용공단 고용개발원 2023 장애와 고용 Vol.33 No.2

연구목적: 본 연구의 목적은 장애인용 중장년 직업역량검사를 개발하고, 전국 단위의 표본 조사를 통해 타당화하는 것이다. 연구방법: 한국고용정보원(2015)의 중장년 직업역량검사를 바탕으로 전문가 자문 및 합의 과정을 거쳐 장애인용 중장년 직업역량검사를 개발하였다. 이어서 총 453명의 만40세~65세 사이 장애인을 대상으로 검사를 실시하였다. 신뢰도 검증을 위해 내적 일치도를, 타당도 검증을 위해 수렴 및 변별 타당도(상관분석: 장애인 고용서비스 다양성 검사, 직업기능 스크리닝 검사, 구직욕구진단검사)와 구인 타당도(탐색적 요인분석, 확인적 요인분석)를 확인하였다. 연구결과: 검사 요인별 기술통계 분석 결과, 가족의 지지, 지초직무능력, 장애수용 순으로 평균값이 높았다. 내적 일치도를 통해 확인한 신뢰도는 .653~.971로 높게 나타났으며, 수렴 및 변별 타당도도 높게 나타났다. 구인 타당도 분석 결과, CFI, TLI, RMSEA, SRMR 모두 적합한 수준이었다. 결론: 본 연구는 고령화에 따른 장애인의 근로 기간 연장을 위하여, 중장년 장애인이 자신의 직업역량을 객관적으로 파악할 수 있도록 검사도구를 개발하고, 표본 조사를 통해 신뢰도와 타당도를 확보하여 현장 활용도를 높였다는 것에 의의가 있다. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop a vocational competency test for middle-aged adults with disabilities and to validate it through a nationwide sample survey. Method: Based on the vocational competency test for middle-aged adults was developed through expert advice and agreement process. A total of 453 people with disabilities between the ages of 40 and 65 participated. Internal consistency was checked for reliability verification, convergence and discrimination validity (correlation analysis), and recruitment validity (exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis). Results: As a result of analyzing descriptive statistics by test factor, the average value was high in the order of family support, basic vocational ability, and disability acceptance. The internal consistency has secured a high level of reliability in sub-factors(.653~.971). The validity of convergence and discrimination was also high. As a result of confirmatory factor analysis, CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and SRMR were all at suitable levels. Conclusion: This study is meaningful in that it developed a tool so that middle-aged adults with disabilities can objectively examine their vocational competencies, and improved field utilization by securing reliability and validity through sample surveys.

질적 지표를 활용한 국내 학습장애 및 학습부진학생 대상 어휘 중재 연구 동향 분석

이연재(Yeonjae Lee),채창희(Changhee Chae),김희은(Heeeun Kim),김동일(Dongil Kim) 한국특수교육교과교육학회 2022 특수교육교과교육연구 Vol.15 No.2

본 연구는 동향 분석 및 질적 지표 분석을 통해 학습장애 및 학습부진학생을 대상으로 한 국내 어휘 중재 연구가 ‘증거기반의 실제’로 여겨질 수 있는가를 고찰하는데 목적이 있다. 분석논문 14편을 대상으로 연구 동향의 일반적인 특성을 분석한 후, CEC(2014) 질적 지표에 얼마나 부합하는지 점수를 산출하였다. 학습장애 및 학습부진학생을 위한 어휘 중재 연구는 2002년에 처음 출간된 후 2021년까지 꾸준히 게재되고 있었고, 초등학생을 대상으로 한 연구가 대부분이었다. 중재 방법은 어휘획득전략 지도가, 중재 목적은 어휘력 향상이 가장 많았다. CEC 질적 지표에 따라 평정하였을 때, (준)집단설계연구는 권고지표 4가지를 포함하였을 때 49.6%, 포함하지 않았을 때 62.0%로 양호한 수준으로 지표를 충족하였다. 단일대상연구는 권고지표를 포함 여부와 무관하게 77.3%로 상당히 높게 CEC 질적지표를 충족하였다. 연구 결과에 기반하여 후속 어휘 중재 연구를 위한 시사점을 논의하였다. The purpose of this study was to examine whether Korean vocabulary intervention studies targeting students with learning disabilities and difficulties can be regarded as 'evidence-based practice' through research trend analysis and qualitative indicator analysis. After analyzing the general characteristics of the research trend for 14 studies, the score was calculated based on CEC (2014) quality indicators. Vocabulary intervention studies for students with learning disabilities and difficulties have been steadily published, and most of the studies were conducted on elementary school students. The most common intervention method was vocabulary acquisition strategy, and the purpose of intervention was improvement of vocabulary. The quality indicator satisfaction ratio of quasi-group-design study was 49.6%. The single-subject study showed relatively higher quality indicator satisfaction ratio of 77.3%. Based on the research results, implications for subsequent vocabulary intervention studies were discussed.