Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · May 2021
Top Central Asian Educational Institutions on Publons: Analysis of Researchers and Reviewers.
The Publons platform provides integrated information on researchers, peer reviewers, publications and certain author metrics. Central Asia is a potentially growing region in terms of young researchers. ⋯ There appears to be much disparity among the rankings, number of researchers, reviewers and published manuscripts across various countries in Central Asia. The gross heterogeneity of Central Asia needs to be minimized by nurturing and mentoring potentially upcoming researchers in publication, peer reviewing as well as in ethics involved.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · May 2021
Fit Test for N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators and KF94 Masks for Healthcare Workers: a Prospective Single-center Simulation Study.
For protection against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Korean government recommended the KF94 mask or that a mask at the same level as the KF94 should be worn when contacting a patient with COVID-19. Furthermore, adequately fitted N95 respirators and KF94 masks are essential. We investigated the fit tests to determine whether healthcare workers had adequate protection with N95 respirators and KF94 masks. ⋯ Although adequate protection rate of N95 respirators was higher than that of KF94 masks, N95 respirator protection rate was not optimum. Thus, it is necessary to minimize exposure to risk by selecting an appropriate mask or respirator that adequately fits each person, and by wearing respirators or masks appropriately, before contacting the patients. With their superior protection rate, wearing N95 respirators is recommended instead of KF94 masks, especially when performing aerosol-generating procedures.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · May 2021
Positivity of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies among Korean Healthy Healthcare Workers 1 and 2 Weeks after Second Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccination.
The antibody titer of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was observed in 289 healthy healthcare workers who had completed the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine. Antibody tests were performed using both the automated electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) and the chromatographic lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA). ⋯ There was no significant difference between whole blood and serum in detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after vaccination. This is an early study of vaccinations among Koreans and is expected to contribute to the establishment of national guidelines on COVID-19 vaccination.
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Understanding the long-term kinetics of antibodies in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is essential in interpreting serosurvey data. We investigated the antibody response one year after infection in 52 mildly symptomatic patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, using three commercial immunoassays and a surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT) kit. ⋯ In the sVNT, 30 (57.7%) had positive neutralizing activity. Despite waning immunity, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies can be detected up to one year after infection, even in mild COVID-19 patients.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · May 2021
Severe Phenotype of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Pediatric Patients with Subclinical Hypothyroidism: a Retrospective Multicenter Study from Korea.
It is uncertain whether non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) in pediatric patients. The purpose of this study was to investigated the prevalence and related factors of SH in pediatric patients with NAFLD. We also evaluate the association between liver fibrosis and SH. ⋯ SH was often observed in patients with NAFLD, more frequently in patients with more severe liver damage. Thyroid function tests should be performed on pediatric NAFLD patients, especially those with higher grades of liver steatosis and fibrosis.