Journal of Korean Medical Science

Our study analyzed 95 solid organ transplant (SOT) and 78 hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients with prior coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients who underwent transplantation within 30 days of COVID-19 infection comprised the early group, and those who underwent transplantation post-30 days of COVID-19 infection comprised the delayed group. In the early transplantation group, no patient, whether undergoing SOT and HSCT, experienced COVID-19-associated complications. In the delayed transplantation group, one patient each from SOT and HSCT experienced COVID-19-associated complications...

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The global research and pharmaceutical community rapidly mobilized to develop treatments for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Existing treatments have been repurposed and new drugs have emerged. Here we summarize mechanisms and clinical trials of COVID-19 therapeutics approved or in development. Two reviewers, working independently, reviewed published data for approved COVID-19 vaccines and drugs, as well as developmental pipelines, using databases from the following organizations: United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), Japanese Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), and ClinicalTrials...

BACKGROUND: Nationwide research on the association between carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CREs) and antibiotic use is limited. METHODS: This nested case-control study analyzed Korean National Health Insurance claims data from April 2017 to April 2019. Based on the occurrence of CRE, hospitalized patients aged ≥ 18 years were classified into CRE (cases) and control groups. Propensity scores based on age, sex, modified Charlson comorbidity score, insurance type, long-term care facility, intensive care unit stay, and acquisition of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci were used to match the case and control groups (1:3)...

BACKGROUND: The advent of the omicron variant and the formulation of diverse therapeutic strategies marked a new epoch in the realm of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Studies have compared the clinical outcomes between COVID-19 and seasonal influenza, but such studies were conducted during the early stages of the pandemic when effective treatment strategies had not yet been developed, which limits the generalizability of the findings. Therefore, an updated evaluation of the comparative analysis of clinical outcomes between COVID-19 and seasonal influenza is requisite...

BACKGROUND: To overcome the limitations of relying on data from a single institution, many researchers have studied data linkage methodologies. Data linkage includes errors owing to legal issues surrounding personal information and technical issues related to data processing. Linkage errors affect selection bias, and external and internal validity. Therefore, quality verification for each connection method with adherence to personal information protection is an important issue. This study evaluated the linkage quality of linked data and analyzed the potential bias resulting from linkage errors...

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BACKGROUND: Prenatal exposure to ambient air pollution is linked to a higher risk of unfavorable pregnancy outcomes. However, the association between pregnancy complications and exposure to indoor air pollution remains unclear. The Air Pollution on Pregnancy Outcomes research is a hospital-based prospective cohort research created to look into the effects of aerodynamically exposed particulate matter (PM)10 and PM2.5 on pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: This prospective multicenter observational cohort study was conducted from January 2021 to June 2023...

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BACKGROUND: Korea has witnessed significant fluctuations in its suicide rates in recent decades, which may be related to modifications in its death registration system. This study aimed to explore the structural shifts in suicide trends, as well as accidental and ill-defined deaths in Korea, and to analyze the patterns of these changes. METHODS: We analyzed age-adjusted death rates for suicides, deaths due to transport accidents, falls, drowning, fire-related incidents, poisonings, other external causes, and ill-defined deaths in Korea from 1997 to 2021...

National vaccine injury compensation serves as a crucial and significant safety net for individuals affected by government-recommended vaccines during a pandemic, contributing to the community's overall safety. In the Republic of Korea, compensation for adverse events resulting from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations has been provided through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program introduced in 1995. However, there have been limitations with these measures during the COVID-19 pandemic owing to strict criteria for substantiating causality between the vaccine and injury, its nontransparent process of determining whether to compensate, and the compensation amount that is not practically calculated...

BACKGROUND: A healthcare system's collapse due to a pandemic, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), can expose healthcare workers (HCWs) to various mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the depression and anxiety of HCWs. METHODS: A nationwide questionnaire-based survey was conducted on HCWs who worked in healthcare facilities and public health centers in Korea in December 2020. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were used to measure depression and anxiety...

BACKGROUND: The hollow-fiber infection model (HFIM) is a valuable tool for evaluating pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics relationships and determining the optimal antibiotic dose in monotherapy or combination therapy, but the application for personalized precision medicine in tuberculosis treatment remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of adjusted antibiotic doses for a tuberculosis patient using HFIM. METHODS: Model-based Bayesian forecasting was utilized to assess the proposed reduction of the isoniazid dose from 300 mg daily to 150 mg daily in a patient with an ultra-slow-acetylation phenotype...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: To analyze the effects of socioeconomic status (type of insurance and income level) and cancer stage on the survival of patients with liver cancer in Korea. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was constructed using data from the Healthcare Big Data Platform project in Korea between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2017. A total of 143,511 patients in Korea diagnosed with liver cancer (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision [ICD-10] codes C22, C220, and C221) were followed for an average of 11 years...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The National Immunization Program in The Republic of Korea offers mandatory and free vaccinations to children under 12, regulated by the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act. Tracking vaccination coverage is crucial for population protection and public health strategies. Since 2002, the Immunization Registry Information System (IRIS) has been used nationwide to capture vaccination data. This study reviewed documents related to IRIS's establishment and development. The Republic of Korea legally supports IRIS's construction and data collection, integrating vaccination data with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's resident registration to minimize errors...

BACKGROUND: Since the emergence of hypervirulent strains of Clostridioides difficile , the incidence of C. difficile infections (CDI) has increased significantly. METHODS: To assess the incidence of CDI in Korea, we conducted a prospective multicentre observational study from October 2020 to October 2021. Additionally, we calculated the incidence of CDI from mass data obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) from 2008 to 2020. RESULTS: In the prospective study with active surveillance, 30,212 patients had diarrhoea and 907 patients were diagnosed with CDI over 1,288,571 patient-days and 193,264 admissions in 18 participating hospitals during 3 months of study period; the CDI per 10,000 patient-days was 7...