Journal of Korean medical science
-
J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Conduct of Clinical Trials for Medical Products in Korea.
The number of clinical trials conducted in Korea continues to increase and an increasing proportion focus on severe and rare incurable diseases. After the start of the severe acute respiratory syndrome, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) developed guidelines to prevent the spread of infection. This study evaluated the impact of COVID-19 and the KCDC guideline on the conduct of clinical research in Korea. The purpose was to develop recommendations on how to minimize the risk of infection while enabling subjects to take part in the trials if no better alternative treatment options were available. ⋯ The COVID-19 and the KCDC guideline influenced all parties involved in clinical trials in Korea. In order to ensure the safety and well-being of trial subjects during the pandemic, new approaches are required for clinical trials to respond to the impact actively. Method of non-contact is developed to replace and supplement the face-to-face contact and alternatives to reduce the travel is introduced to decrease the risk of infection for all trial participants in whole trial process. The relevant regulations should be developed and the guidelines for foreign countries need to be adopted in accordance with the situation in Korea. COVID-19 trial is rapidly increasing worldwide and continuous support of health authorities, regulation, and facilities is required for developing the treatments with protecting all trial participants.
-
J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
Clinical Characteristics and Mortality Predictors of COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized at Nationally-Designated Treatment Hospitals.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in December 2019 in China, and then it has disseminated worldwide. In Korea, a religious group-related super-spreading event triggered a sudden outbreak in Daegu city and Gyeongsangbuk-do in southeast Korea. This study was undertaken to document the clinical characteristics of patients hospitalized in Gyeongsangbuk-do. ⋯ Patients aged ≥ 70 years, those with fever on admission, and patients with an underlying malignancy or diabetes were found to be more likely to succumb to COVID-19. Elderly in care facilities or hospitalized patients with an underlying disease should receive more attention and be considered for preventive quarantine.
-
J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
Applicative Factors of Helmet Molding Therapy in Late-diagnosed Positional Plagiocephaly.
Although the benefits of helmet therapy for positional plagiocephaly are strongly correlated with age, the effective period remains controversial. However, most physicians agree that effective results can be obtained in patients within the age of 6 months. Owing to the characteristics of positional plagiocephaly in Koreans, many Korean patients have delayed diagnosis, and because this results in delayed onset of the helmet therapy, the outcomes remain largely underevaluated. In the management of late-diagnosed positional plagiocephaly, we aimed to determine the factors affecting the effective application of helmet therapy. ⋯ The efficacy of helmet therapy in late-diagnosed patients can be predicted on the basis of not only age at treatment initiation, but also initial absolute diagonal distance differences and initial CVAI. We anticipate that even patients with late-diagnosed positional plagiocephaly can expect better helmet therapy outcomes.
-
J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
Comparative StudyCharacterization of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Stability in Multiple Water Matrices.
The advent of the global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) necessitates a thorough study of the stability and transmissibility in the environment. We characterized the stability of SARS-CoV-2 in three water matrices: fresh, tap, and seawater. The minimum infective dose of SARS-CoV-2 in Vero cells was confirmed to be 10³ PFU/mL. ⋯ When the starting concentration was increased to 10⁵ PFU/mL, a similar trend was observed. In addition, viral RNA persisted longer than infectious virus in all water matrices. This study was conducted in stagnant water containing a significantly high titer of virus, thus, human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through the actual aquatic environment is expected to be rare.
-
J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
Trends of Incidence and Survival Rates of Mucosa-associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma in the Korean Population: Analysis of the Korea Central Cancer Registry Database.
Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT-lymphoma) is an extranodal lymphoma that occurs at various sites in the body. There is a limited understanding of the incidence and survival rates of MALT-lymphoma. To investigate the nation-wide incidence and survival rates of MALT-lymphoma in Korea during 1999-2017, the data on MALT-lymphoma were retrieved from the Korea Central Cancer Registry. ⋯ Although the incidence of MALT-lymphoma is low in Korea, it has been increasing in recent years. The prognosis of MALT-lymphoma is good even at advanced stages. These findings provide useful insights to clinicians about MALT-lymphoma and inform patients about the survival rate.