• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.39.1-39.18
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• 2021

The high virulent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus that emerged in China at the end of 2019 has generated novel coronavirus disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), causing a pandemic worldwide. Every country has made great efforts to struggle against SARS-CoV-2 infection, including massive vaccination, immunological patients' surveillance, and the utilization of convalescence plasma for COVID-19 therapy. These efforts are associated with the attempts to increase the titers of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing Abs (nAbs) generated either after infection or vaccination that represent the body's immune status. As there is no standard therapy for COVID-19 yet, virus eradication will mainly depend on these nAbs contents in the body. Therefore, serological nAbs neutralization assays become a requirement for researchers and clinicians to measure nAbs titers. Different platforms have been developed to evaluate nAbs titers utilizing various epitopes sources, including neutralization assays based on the live virus, pseudovirus, and neutralization assays utilizing recombinant SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein receptor binding site, receptor-binding domain. As a standard neutralization assay, the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) requires isolation and propagation of live pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 virus conducted in a BSL-3 containment. Hence, other surrogate neutralization assays relevant to the PRNT play important alternatives that offer better safety besides facilitating high throughput analyses. This review discusses the current neutralization assay platforms used to evaluate nAbs, their techniques, advantages, and limitations.

• Journal of the Health Care and Life Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.243-252
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• 2022

This study introduces a case consisting of nursing capstone design class delivered in an intensive mode during the COVID-19 pandemic and analyzes the outcome of student capstone designs. The nursing capstone design class was held four hours a week for eight weeks from August 25 to October 27, 2020, and 18 students completed the course. Results of capstone design projects included a storybook designed to educate hospitalized children for their disease, detachable nets for safe wheelchair transfer, teaching aids for pregnant women with gestational diabetes, and adhesive alarm bells for bed rails. Students showed high satisfaction with the intensive mode of delivery in the class and positively evaluated the inclusion of team-based projects, and the average score of overall satisfaction with the course was 4.8±0.41. There is a lack of research on intensive capstone design courses in the nursing field. This study explores measures to help develop flexible cirriculums and enhance learner efficacy in a real-life context. Future research is anticipated to expand on capstone design in nursing.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.284-295
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• 2020

In December 2019, the first coronavirus disease- 2019 (COVID-19) patient was reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Since then, the number of patients who suffered severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by the novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 or 2019-nCoV) has increased dramatically in Korea. This new variant virus induces pulmonary diseases, including cough, sore throat, rhinorrhea, dyspnea, and pneumonia. Because SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus, real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR has been used widely to diagnose COVID-19. As the Korea Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (KCDC) and Ministry of Food & Drug Safety (MFDS) approved emergency use authorization, clinical specimens collected from COVID-19 patients and even healthy people have been clinically diagnosed by laboratory medicine. Based on a literature search, this paper reviews the epidemiology, symptoms, molecular diagnostics approved by KCDC, a current diagnosis of COVID-19 in the laboratories, the difference between molecular and serological diagnosis, and guidelines for clinical specimens. In addition, the Korean guidelines of biosafety for clinical laboratory scientists are evaluated to prevent healthcare-associated infection. The author's experience and lessons as clinical laboratory scientists will provide valuable insights to protect the domestic and international health community in this COVID-19 pandemic around the world.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.131-143
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed 1) to investigate high school students' reliability on COVID-19 responses in schools and private academies and 2) to identify the differences in COVID-19 prevention practice. Methods: This cross-sectional survey collected data from 200 high school respondents, using an anonymous online questionnaire designed by the Yonsei Global Health Center, from July 2 to 17, 2020 in this study. Chi-square tests were conducted to analyze the differences in preventative practices and practice rates between schools and private academies. Binary logistics regression analysis was conducted to identify the factor affecting the reliability of COVID-19 response. Results: These high school students reliabilityed the schools' COVID-19 response more than the private academy. In addition, students who studied only at school did more COVID-19 prevention practices than students who studied both at school and academy. There was a significant difference in avoiding public transportation (p=.028), sitting in one row while having a meal (p=.011) in the practice rates depending on the schools' COVID-19 response. A significant difference in Covering the mouth when coughing and sneezing (p-.041) was also found in the practice rates depending on the private academies' COVID-19 response. Conclusion: The reason why schools were more reliable than private academies was that there are health teachers. Because schools are supervised by the ministry of education, the Ministry of education and local government need to work together to manage and monitor the COVID-19 response in the academies through cooperation between two organizations. In addition, it is necessary to arrange a temporary circulation health teacher who will provide the COVID-19 prevention education at the academies.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.64
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• pp.51-79
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• 2020

This study was conducted to pursue Christian education with the socially underprivileged in the era of the Corona-19 pandemic. Corona-19 is a disaster which is caused, destroyed and exploited by human being. At the time of the indiscriminately spreading global pendemic, we must work together to overcome our selfish self-centeredness and make an attempt for everyone in need. It is a study on how humans can help each other survive in the era of Corona-19 and its post-corona. The problem is that there is too much discrimination between the state, race, and economic capacity, and in the end, the extreme discrimination of capitalism is appeared in society and across the country. There is no significant difference in the confirmation rate when Corona-19 infiltrates, but there is a big difference between those with and less in mortality. As a result, today's reality is that people who have a hard time living because they have less usually are far more vulnerable to blocking and defeating virus attacks. Unfortunately, this is the current situation. From the standpoint of a large discourse, attention is paid to climate change and ecological environment, and as a micro discourse, a number of societies who live with tremendous discrimination according to the gap between the rich and the poor (it is gender, race, disabled, nationality) that exist in almost all countries on the planet. We need attention to the weak. To this end, discourses on vaccine inequality, discourses on the needs of the disabled, discourses on different racial damages, discourses on polarization and dystopia, and discourses on educational inequality were treated as the reality faced by the socially underprivileged in the Corona 19 pandemic. To explore Christian education with the socially underprivileged, to explore ways of sharing, giving, and solidarity for win-win, discourse on inter-dependence and mutual responsibility of mankind, direct counter-measures for the socially underprivileged, and critical literacy education. He proposed a discourse on Korea, a discourse on Homo sapiens, which must return to being a part of creation, and finally a theology of friendship with the weak. Christian education based on Bible words must go forward in the era of the Corona 19 pandemic, hungry, naked, nowhere to go, sick, but dying because of being unable to get a remedy. He emphasized the need to establish a caring theology of friendship and pursue a life in which thought and practice harmonize. Thus, the paper proposed the spirit of Christian education not only doing something for the socially weak, but with the socially weak in the daily life.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.136-143
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• 2021

Objectives : The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is a global medical crisis imposing particular burden on public sector employees. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychiatric distress among public sector workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods : We conducted a cross-sectional study with 531 public sector workers in Gwangmyung city who completed Korean versions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Impact of Event Scale-Revised-Korean (IES-R-K). Results : The results revealed more than moderate levels of stress (85.2%), depressive symptoms (22.2%), and posttraumatic stress symptoms (38.8%). PSS total score was significantly correlated with PHQ-9, IES-R-K total scores as well as IES-R-K subscale scores. Total scores on the PSS, PHQ-9, and IES-R-K were all inversely correlated with age. Conclusions : COVID-19-related workers experience considerable stress and depressive symptoms, with self-rated stress correlating significantly with depression scores. Age may serve as a protective factor against occupational stress and burnout. These findings highlight the need for adequate psychiatric screening and intervention for public sector workers.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.380-386
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• 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a public health emergency of global concern. In China, traditional Chinese medicine has been widely administered to COVID-19 patients without sufficient evidence. To evaluate the efficacy of Shenhuang Granule (SHG) for treating critically ill patients with COVID-19, we included in this study 118 patients who were admitted to the ICU of Tongji Hospital between January 28, 2020 and March 28, 2020. Among these patients, 33 (27.9%) received standard care plus SHG (treatment group) and 85 (72.1%) received standard care alone (control group). Enrolled patients had a median (IQR) age of 68 (57-75) years, and most (79 [67.1%]) were men. At end point of this study, 83 (70.3%) had died in ICU, 29 (24.5%) had been discharged from ICU, and 6 patients (5.2%) were still in ICU. Compared with control group, mortality was significantly lower in treatment group (45.4% vs. 80%, p < .001). Patients in treatment group were less likely to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (12 [36.3%] vs. 54 [63.5%], p = 0.012) and cardiac injury (5 [15.1%] vs. 32 [37.6%], p = 0.026), and less likely to receive mechanical ventilation (22 [66.7%] vs. 72 [84.7%], p = 0.028) than those in control group. The median time from ICU admission to discharge was shorter in treatment group (32 [20-73] days vs. 76 [63-79] days, p = 0.0074). These findings suggest that SHG treatment as a complementary therapy might be effective for critically ill adults with COVID-19 and warrant further clinical trials.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.29-62
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• 2021

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of an interactive singing-based synchronous videoconferencing program for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study was conducted in four stages: analysis of interactive singing tasks in the literature for children with ASD, examination of differences in perception of sounds transmitted via synchronous videoconferencing platform depending on the type of singing tasks and accompaniment, construction of singing-based synchronous videoconferencing program and determination of its validity, and implementation of the constructed program with three children with ASD and confirmation of its feasibility. The results showed that different types of singing tasks and accompaniment affected perception of sounds transmitted online, which highlights the importance of considering such effects when designing synchronous videoconferencing music therapy programs. Also, increases in program engagement and singing behaviors were observed for all three participants, and their caregivers reported high levels of satisfaction with the program. The findings support the applicability of this intervention as a tele-music alternative during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical implications and suggestions are discussed.

• The Journal of Bigdata
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.187-199
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• 2020

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11. South Korea recorded 27,000 cases of the coronavirus illness, and more than 50 million coronavirus cases were confirmed all over the world. An epidemiological investigation becomes important once again due to the spread of COVID-19 infections. However, there were a number of confirmed coronavirus cases from Deagu and Gyeongbuk. Limitations of the epidemiological investigation methods were recognized. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency developed the Epidemiological Investigation Support System(EISS) to utilize the smart city data hub technology and utilized the system in the epidemiological investigation. As a part of EISS, The proposed system is big-data bsed epidemiological investigation support system processing mobile network data. The established system is the epidemiological investigation support system based on big data to process mobile carriers' big data. Processing abnormal values of mobile carriers' data which was impossible with existing staff or creating hotspot regions where more than two people were in contact with an infected person were realized. As a result, our system processes outlier of mobile network data in 30 seconds, while processes hotspot around in 10 minutes. as a first time to adapt and support bigdata system into epidemiological investigation, our system proposes the practical utilizability of big-data system into epidemiological investigation.

• Journal of the Korean BIBLIA Society for library and Information Science
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.207-228
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• 2022

This study compared the behavior of using the reading room of the university library before and after COVID-19 and confirmed the changes and characteristics. As a subject of the study, 579,555 reading room usage data for the 2019-2021 school year, three years before and after the outbreak of COVID-19, were collected and analyzed for reading room utilization. In addition, the purpose of visiting the library was compared based on 120,090 data usage logs, and the relationship between the characteristics and usage rate of each reading room was analyzed. Ultimately, it is intended to suggest a way to increase utilization by reflecting the needs of users derived from changes in usage behavior during the COVID-19 period in the reading room space of the university library. It is hoped that the results of this research will be used as basic data for the operation of library reading rooms and the establishment of space reconstruction policies to cope with the New normal era after pandemic.