• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.16-33
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• 2021

Objectives This study aims to provide directions for future Korean pediatric medicine treatment and researches by analyzing the characteristics of diseases of Korean pediatric outpatients before and after the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods We analyzed the medical records of 10,868 new patients aged 0-18 who visited the Korean pediatrics at Kyung Hee university hospital from January 1, 2019 to June 30, 2021. All patients were divided into 2 groups; patients who visited from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019, before the coronavirus epidemic, and patients who visited from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, after the coronavirus epidemic. Within the two groups, the diagnosis distribution was performed for the entire population, by gender and by age group. Diagnoses were classified as allergy, growth, gastrointestinal, respiratory, general body supplementation, neuropsychiatric, skin, urogenital, musculoskeletal, and other systems. Results According to the comparative analysis results of before and after the COVID epidemic, there was a decreasing trend of diagnoses in relates to allergy, respiratory, urogenital, musculoskeletal system. On the other side, there was an increasing trend in gastrointestinal, general body supplementation, growth, neuropsychiatric, skin and other system. Changes in diagnosis based on gender and age group will be described below. Conclusions This study analyzed the characteristics of diseases of Korean pediatric outpatients before and after the COVID-19 epidemic, and suggested the direction of future Korean medicine treatment and researches for pediatrics. Also, this study aimed to propose proper treatments for children by showing the role of Korean pediatric medicine related to growth and development of children during the epidemic. However, this study has limitations such as failure to track the long-term impact of COVID-19. Thus, long term follow-up studies are needed to show the effect of COVID-19 on Korean pediatric medicine.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.402-406
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• 2024

Cronkhite-Canada syndrome is a rare gastrointestinal polyposis syndrome with distinctive clinical features and endoscopic findings. Diagnosis can be challenging without suspicion, and the disease carries high mortality due to complications such as infection, gastrointestinal bleeding, and malignancies. This paper presents two cases of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome occurring after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccination. Both cases exhibited typical clinical findings, including hypogeusia, onychodystrophy, alopecia, and weight loss. Typical polyposis in the gastrointestinal tract was confirmed through endoscopies. As symptomatic treatment did not improve the symptoms, corticosteroids were administered, and symptoms and laboratory test results improved immediately. The patients improved upon corticosteroids tapering. These cases illustrate typical presentations of Cronkhite-Canada syndrome and the course of the disease following corticosteroid treatment. Additionally, they suggest the possibility that Cronkhite-Canada syndrome may be triggered by COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.661-672
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• 2022

After the outbreak of the SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID-19, it spreads around the world with the number of infections and deaths rising rapidly caused a shortage of medical resources. As a way to solve this problem, chest X-ray diagnosis using Artificial Intelligence(AI) received attention as a primary diagnostic method. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively analyze the detection of COVID-19 via AI. To achieve this purpose, 292 studies were collected through a series of Classification methods. Based on these data, performance measurement information including Accuracy, Precision, Area Under Cover(AUC), Sensitivity, Specificity, F1-score, Recall, K-fold, Architecture and Class were analyzed. As a result, the average Accuracy, Precision, AUC, Sensitivity and Specificity were achieved as 95.2%, 94.81%, 94.01%, 93.5%, and 93.92%, respectively. Although the performance measurement information on a year-on-year basis gradually increased, furthermore, we conducted a study on the rate of change according to the number of Class and image data, the ratio of use of Architecture and about the K-fold. Currently, diagnosis of COVID-19 using AI has several problems to be used independently, however, it is expected that it will be sufficient to be used as a doctor's assistant.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.3
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• pp.217-225
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• 2021

Background: Despite the proven benefits of dexamethasone in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, the optimum time for the administration of dexamethasone is unknown. We investigated the progression of COVID-19 pneumonia based on the timing of dexamethasone administration. Methods: A single-center, retrospective cohort study based on medical record reviews was conducted between June 10 and September 21, 2020. We compared the risk of severe COVID-19, defined as the use of a high-flow nasal cannula or a mechanical ventilator, between groups that received dexamethasone either within 24 hours of hypoxemia (early dexamethasone group) or 24 hours after hypoxemia (late dexamethasone group). Hypoxemia was defined as room-air SpO₂ <90%. Results: Among 59 patients treated with dexamethasone for COVID-19 pneumonia, 30 were in the early dexamethasone group and 29 were in the late dexamethasone group. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics, the time interval from symptom onset to diagnosis or hospitalization, or the use of antiviral or antibacterial agents between the two groups. The early dexamethasone group showed a significantly lower rate of severe COVID-19 compared to the control group (75.9% vs. 40.0%, p=0.012). Further, the early dexamethasone group showed a significantly shorter total duration of oxygen supplementation (10.45 days vs. 21.61 days, p=0.003) and length of stay in the hospital (19.76 days vs. 27.21 days, p=0.013). However, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and in-hospital mortality rates were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: Early administration of dexamethasone may prevent the progression of COVID-19 to a severe disease, without increased mortality.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.14.1-14.6
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• 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an on-going pandemic disease infecting millions of people across the globe. Recent reports of reduction in antibody levels and the re-emergence of the disease in recovered patients necessitated the understanding of the pandemic at the core level. The cases of multiple organ failures emphasized the consideration of different organ systems while managing the disease. The present study employed RNA sequencing data to determine the disease associated differentially regulated genes and their related protein interactions in several organ systems. It signified the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of the disease. A map of protein interactions of multiple organ systems was built and uncovered CAV1 and CTNNB1 as the top degree nodes. A core interactions sub-network was analyzed to identify different modules of functional significance. AR, CTNNB1, CAV1, and PIK3R1 proteins were unfolded as bridging nodes interconnecting different modules for the information flow across several pathways. The present study also highlighted some of the druggable targets to analyze in drug re-purposing strategies against the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the protein interactions map and the modular interactions of the differentially regulated genes in the multiple organ systems would incline the scientists and researchers to investigate in novel therapeutics for the COVID-19 pandemic expeditiously.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.99-120
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• 2022

Objectives : To analyze symptoms of olfactory dysfunction caused by COVID-19 from a Korean Medical Perspective. Methods : Previous studies dealing with olfactory dysfunction accompanying COVID-19 were studied and analyzed for general characterization. Physiology and pathology of olfactory functions within the classical texts of Korean Medicine were collected and analyzed, through which symptoms of olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 were examined. Results : Olfactory dysfunction manifested in high ratios in the early stages of confirmed COVID-19 cases, at times independent of other nasal symptoms such as blockage or discharge. There was a high chance of loss of taste being accompanied, while mental problems such as a tendency to have difficulty concentrating were present as well. In most cases, recovery took one to two weeks. From a Korean Medical perspective, physiology of olfactory function is closely linked to the Lungs, Ancetral Qi[宗氣], and the Heart, while its dysfunction could be explained by pathological factors such as Wind-Cold, Fire stagnation, Qi deficiency, Wind stroke, etc. Conclusions : In the context of external contraction disease[外感病], olfactory dysfunction could be caused by problems in the Lungs and Stomach that are responsible for breathing, or the Heart which is involved in recognizing and differentiating scent. General characteristics of COVID-19 imply it to be closely related to the Heart. In clinical application, overall symptoms need to be considered in diagnosis and treatment planning, after which further approaches could made to determine the problem to be of the Lung and Stomach, or of the Heart.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.86 no.3
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• pp.216-225
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• 2023

Background: Tuberculosis (TB)-related stigma has been well-documented. Since the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), different organizations have been alerted to the fact that stigma could arise again. Due to stigma's negative effects, this qualitative study aimed to explore the stigma felt by patients by evaluating the following: COVID-19 stigma and its temporal progression through the pandemic; stigma perceived by different patients with TB before and during COVID-19 pandemic; and difference perceived by individuals who contracted both diseases. Methods: A semi-structured interview was developed according to the available literature on the theme. It was performed individually in 2022 upon receiving signed informed consent. Participants were recruited with a purposive sampling approach by searching medical records. Those who currently or previously had pulmonary TB and/or COVID-19 were included. Data were subjected to thematic analysis. Results: Nine patients were interviewed, including six (66.7%) females. The median age of patients was 51±14.7 years. Four participants (44.4%) had completed high school and four (44.4%) were never smokers. Three had both TB and COVID-19. Four only had TB and two only had COVID-19. Interviews identified eight main themes: knowledge and beliefs, with several misconceptions identified; attitudes towards the disease, varying from social support to exclusion; knowledge and education, assumed as of extreme importance; internalized stigma, with self-rejection; experienced stigma, with discrimination episodes; anticipated stigma, modifying actions for avoiding stigma; perceived stigma, with judgment by others prevailed; and temporal evolution of stigma. Conclusion: Individuals expressed strong stigma for both diseases. De-stigmatization of respiratory infectious diseases is crucial for limiting stigma's negative impact.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.68-71
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• 2024

In the context of the massive spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the development of a COVID-19 vaccine is urgently needed. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been widely applied across global populations. Herein, we report a case of acute interstitial nephritis with acute kidney injury in a young healthy subject after administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. A 20-year-old man was admitted with abdominal discomfort and nausea. He had received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine 6 days before. At 9 days after vaccination, his kidney function was decreased, with serum creatinine levels of 1.8 mg/dL. Even with supportive care with hydration, his kidney function worsened, and he underwent a kidney biopsy. The pathology findings revealed diffuse interstitial infiltration of inflammatory cells, predominantly comprising lymphocytes, with preservation of the glomerulus. No abnormal findings were noted by immunofluorescence or electron microscopy. Based on a diagnosis of drug-related acute interstitial nephritis, we treated the patient with high-dose prednisolone. After administration of prednisolone, kidney function slowly improved. A close linkage between COVID-19 vaccination and acute interstitial nephritis should be considered in the clinic, despite the low incidence.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.265-267
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• 2020

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.377-392
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• 2020

COVID-19 is considered the worst pandemic of the beginning of the 21^st century. Among the ASEAN countries, Indonesia has the second highest number of active cases and is ranked 23^th in the world in active cases as of August 14, 2020. The number of people becoming infected in Indonesia continues to grow along with fear and panic conditions that have negative impacts on Indonesian society. Therefore, efforts to deal with the conditions should be made. This study aims to explore the experience of patients with COVID-19 experiences during the treatment process. This study used literature and video clip analysis of 14 cases. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The results were presented in the following five themes (i) experience of receiving a diagnosis (I am shocked, how could I get infected?, suggestive thinking between dead or alive, and uncertainty of the test result), (ii) boredom during isolation, (iii) being stigmatized and discriminated against, (iv) self-reflection with God, and (v) social support from family members and healthcare workers. This study serves as an input to increase the chances of the recovery of the patients with COVID-19.