• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.15 no.sup1
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• pp.32-40
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• 2021

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Considering the high number of deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Latin American countries, together with multiple factors that increase the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, we aimed to determine 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and its association with mortality in patients with critical COVID-19. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This was a prospective observational study including adult patients with critical COVID-19. Data, including clinical characteristics and 25(OH)D levels measured at the time of intensive care unit admission, were collected. All patients were followed until hospital discharge or in-hospital death. The patients were divided into those surviving and deceased patient groups, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine independent predictors of in hospital mortality. RESULTS: The entire cohort comprised 94 patients with critical COVID-19 (males, 59.6%; median age, 61.5 years). The median 25(OH)D level was 12.7 ng/mL, and 15 (16%) and 79 (84%) patients had vitamin D insufficiency and vitamin D deficiency, respectively. The median serum 25(OH)D level was significantly lower in deceased patients compared with surviving (12.1 vs. 18.7 ng/mL, P < 0.001). Vitamin D deficiency was present in 100% of the deceased patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age, body mass index, other risk factors, and 25(OH)D level were independent predictors of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency was present in 84% of critical COVID-19 patients. Serum 25(OH)D was independently associated with mortality in critical patients with COVID-19.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.249-259
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• 2023

Purpose: Since patients on hemodialysis (HD) are known to be vulnerable to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many studies were conducted regarding the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine in HD patients in Western countries. Here, we assessed antibody response of HD patients for 6 months post-vaccination to identify the duration and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Asian population. Materials and Methods: We compared antibody response of the COVID-19 vaccine in HD patients with healthy volunteers. Patient and control groups had two doses of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and mRNA-1273, respectively. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) was measured before vaccination, 2 weeks after the first dose, 2 and 4 weeks, 3 and 6 months after the second dose. Neutralizing antibody was measured before vaccination and at 2 weeks, 3 and 6 months after second dose. Since the third dose was started in the middle of the study, we analyzed the effect of the third dose as well. Results: Although antibody production was weaker than the control group (n=22), the patient group (n=39) showed an increase in IgG and neutralizing antibody after two doses. And, 21/39 patients and 14/22 participants had a third dose (BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 in the patient group, mRNA-1273 in the control group), and it did not affect antibody response in both group. Trend analysis showed IgG and neutralizing antibody did not decrease over time. Age, sex, and HD vintage did not affect antibody production in HD patients. Patients with higher body mass index displayed better seroresponse, while those on immunosuppressants showed poor seroresponse. Conclusion: Two doses of vaccination led to significant antibody response in HD patients, and the antibody did not wane until 6 months.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.53 no.12
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• pp.829-839
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: There is limited data on the impact of type 2 myocardial infarction (T2MI) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database from January 2019 to December 2020 was queried to identify T2MI hospitalizations based on the appropriate International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision-Clinical Modification codes. Monthly trends of COVID-19 and T2MI hospitalizations were evaluated using Joinpoint regression analysis. In addition, the multivariate logistic and linear regression analysis was used to compare inhospital mortality, coronary angiography use, and resource utilization between 2019 and 2020. Results: A total of 743,535 patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of T2MI were identified in the years 2019 (n=331,180) and 2020 (n=412,355). There was an increasing trend in T2MI hospitalizations throughout the study period corresponding to the increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in 2020. The adjusted odds of in-hospital mortality associated with T2MI hospitalizations were significantly higher in 2020 compared with 2019 (11.1% vs. 8.1%: adjusted odds ratio, 1.19 [1.13-1.26]; p<0.01). In addition, T2MI hospitalizations were associated with lower odds of coronary angiography and higher total hospitalization charges, with no difference in the length of stay in 2020 compared with 2019. Conclusions: We found a significant increase in T2MI hospitalizations with higher in-hospital mortality, total hospitalization costs, and lower coronary angiography use during the early COVID-19 pandemic corresponding to the trends in the rise of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Further research into the factors associated with increased mortality can increase our preparedness for future pandemics.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.24.1-24.12
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• 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination in immunocompromised, especially transplant recipients, may induce a weaker immune response. But there are limited data on the immune response after COVID-19 vaccination in liver transplant (LT) recipients, especially on the comparison of Ab responses after different vaccine platforms between mRNA and adenoviral vector vaccines. Thus, we conducted a prospective study on LT recipients who received two doses of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (ChAdOx1), mRNA-1273, or BNT162b2 vaccines compared with healthy healthcare workers (HCWs). SARS-CoV-2 S1-specific IgG Ab titers were measured using ELISA. Overall, 89 LT recipients (ChAdOx1, n=16 [18%]) or mRNA vaccines (mRNA-1273 vaccine, n=23 [26%]; BNT162b2 vaccine, n=50 [56%]) received 3 different vaccines. Of them, 16 (18%) had a positive Ab response after one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 62 (73%) after 2 doses. However, the median Ab titer after two doses of mRNA vaccines was significantly higher (44.6 IU/ml) than after two doses of ChAdOx1 (19.2 IU/ml, p=0.04). The longer time interval from transplantation was significantly associated with high Ab titers after two doses of vaccine (p=0.003). However, mycophenolic acid use was not associated with Ab titers (p=0.53). In conclusion, about 3-quarters of LT recipients had a positive Ab response after 2 doses of vaccine, and the mRNA vaccines induced higher Ab responses than the ChAdOx1 vaccine.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.283-292
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• 2023

The aim of this study was to investigate whether dairy intake was associated with the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease and the probability of hospitalization of patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 141 patients with COVID-19 with an average age of 46.23 ± 15.88 years. The number of men (52.5%) participating in this study was higher than that of women. The association between dairy intake and COVID-19 was evaluated by multivariable logistic regression analysis. The risk of hospitalization in the highest tertile of dairy intake was 31% lower than in the lowest tertile (odds ratio [OR], 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37-1.25, p trend = 0.023). Higher milk and yogurt intake was associated with a reduced risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19. Patients in the third tertiles were about 65% (p for trend = 0.014) and 12% (p for trend = 0.050) less likely to be hospitalized than those in the first tertile, respectively. Dairy consumption, especially low-fat ones, was associated with a lower risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 and lower severity of COVID-19.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.393-406
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• 2020

The discourse on the lockdown in Indonesia is getting stronger due to the increasing number of positive cases of the coronavirus and the death rate. As of August 12, 2020, the confirmed number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia reached 130,718. There were 85,798 victims who have recovered and 5,903 who have died. Data show a significant increase in cases of COVID-19 every day. For this reason, there needs to be an evaluation of the government policy of the Republic of Indonesia in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. An evaluation of policies for handling the pandemic must include public opinion to determine any weaknesses of this policy. The development of public opinion about the lockdown policy can be understood through social media. During the COVID-19 pandemic, measuring public opinion through traditional methods (surveys) was difficult. For this reason, we utilized big data on social media as research data. The main purpose of this study is to understand public opinion on the lockdown policy in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. The things observed included: volume of Twitter users, top influencers, top tweets, and communication networks between Twitter users. For the methodological development of future public opinion research, the researchers outline the obstacles faced in researching public opinion based on big data from Twitter. The research results show that the lockdown policy is an interesting issue, as evidenced by the number of active users (79,502) forming 133,209 networks. Posts about the lockdown on Twitter continued to increase after the implementation of the lockdown policy on April 10, 2020. The lockdown policy has caused various reactions, seen from the word analysis showing 14.8% positive sentiment, 17.5% negative, and 67.67% non-categorized words. Sources of information who have played the roles of top influencers regarding the lockdown policy include: Jokowi (the president of the Republic of Indonesia), online media, television media, government departments, and governors. Based on the analysis of the network structure, it shows that Jokowi has a central role in controlling the lockdown policy. Several challenges were found in this study: 1) choosing keywords for downloading data, 2) categorizing words containing public opinion sentiment, and 3) determining the sample size.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.8
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• pp.400-412
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• 2020

The world has witnessed unimaginable damage from the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Because the pandemic is growing rapidly, it is important to consider diverse treatment options to effectively treat people worldwide. Since the immune system is at the hub of the infection, it is essential to regulate the dynamic balance in order to prevent the overexaggerated immune responses that subsequently result in multiorgan damage. The use of stem cells as treatment options has gained tremendous momentum in the past decade. The revolutionary measures in science have brought to the world mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and MSC-derived exosomes (MSC-Exo) as therapeutic opportunities for various diseases. The MSCs and MSC-Exos have immunomodulatory functions; they can be used as therapy to strike a balance in the immune cells of patients with COVID-19. In this review, we discuss the basics of the cytokine storm in COVID-19, MSCs, and MSC-derived exosomes and the potential and stem-cell-based ongoing clinical trials for COVID-19.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.674-683
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the changes in the pattern of crimes caused by the spread and slowdown of coronavirus infections and to devise preventive and countermeasures against various crimes in the future. Method: In order to find out the characteristics of each crime in the non-face-to-face and face-to-face environment, the results of previous prior research and data officially released by the National Police Agency and the prosecution office were compared and analyzed. Result: In the early epidemic of infectious diseases, overall crime has decreased, and civil life-related crimes and crimes targeting the socially disadvantaged are increasing. In the second half of the infectious disease, unlike the first half, the prolonged corona caused the economic recession and unemployment, deepening the damage from illegal private finance and significantly increasing illegal gambling game crimes. Conclusion: According to the time of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the quarterly crime characteristics showed that there was a difference in crime type and crime increase and decrease rate, and that crime response measures should be changed accordingly.

• 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 Internet of Things and Convergence
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.13-19
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• 2021

It is analyzed that the energy pattern is affected by the social matters of the disease trend where the energy consumption has been reduced following the depression of the national economy. The campaign of social distance for the people has been done by voluntary or legally due to the epidemic of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Some economic stimulus policies have been done in some countries including the United States, South Korea, and some others. It is shown the susceptible, infectious, and recovered (SIR) modeling applied by system dynamics (SD) where the logical modeling is constructed with S, I, and R. Especially, the I is connected with Society including Population, Race, and Maturity. In addition, Economy and Politics are connected to Income, GDP, Resources, President, Popularity, Ruling Government, and Leadership. The graph shows the big jump on 2020 April when is the starting month of the S value multiplication. This shows the effect of the COVID-19 and its related post-pandemic trend. The trends of OECD and non-OECD are very similar and the effect of the virus hazards causes significantly to the economic depressions.