Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2023
Comparison of Clinical Manifestations of Kawasaki Disease According to SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Positivity.
Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most common cause of acquired heart disease in paediatric patients, with infectious agents being the main cause. This study aimed to determine whether there are differences in the clinical manifestations of KD between patients with and without severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies. ⋯ High incidence of intravenous immunoglobulin-refractory KD may occur in up to 40% of the patients having recent history of coronavirus disease 2019. For patients having KD with N-type SARS-CoV-2 antibody positivity, adjunctive treatment, such as corticosteroids, can be considered as the first line of treatment.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2023
Exercise Frequency Reduction Is Associated With Higher Risk of Infection in Newly Diagnosed Diabetes: A Nationally Representative Cohort Study.
Exercise is an important method to control the progression of diabetes. Since diabetes compromises immune function and increases the risk of infectious diseases, we hypothesized that exercise may affect the risk of infection by its immunoprotective effects. However, population-based cohort studies regarding the association between exercise and the risk of infection are limited, especially regarding changes in exercise frequency. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the change in exercise frequency and the risk of infection among patients with newly diagnosed diabetes. ⋯ Among patients with newly diagnosed diabetes, a reduction in exercise frequency was related to an increase in the risk of pneumonia. For patients with diabetes, a modest level of physical activity may need to be maintained to reduce the risk of pneumonia.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2023
Observational StudyReal-World Treatment Intensity and Patterns in Patients With Myopic Choroidal Neovascularization: Common Data Model in Ophthalmology.
A paucity of data addressing real-world treatment of myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV) in the era of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs led us to investigate real-world treatment intensity and treatment patterns in patients with mCNV. ⋯ Anti-VEGF drugs have become the treatment of choice and second-line treatment for mCNV over the past decade. Anti-VEGF drugs are effective for the treatment of mCNV as the non-switching monotherapy is the main treatment regimen in most cases and the number of treatments decreases significantly in the second year of treatment.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2023
ReviewTwo Years of Experience and Methodology of Korean COVID-19 Living Clinical Practice Guideline Development.
In Korea, during the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we responded to the uncertainty of treatments under various conditions, consistently playing catch up with the speed of evidence updates. Therefore, there was high demand for national-level evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for clinicians in a timely manner. We developed evidence-based and updated living recommendations for clinicians through a transparent development process and multidisciplinary expert collaboration. ⋯ We provided timely recommendations on living schemes and disseminated them to the public, policymakers and various stakeholders using webpages and social media. Although the output was successful, there were some limitations. The rigor of development issues, urgent timelines for public dissemination, education for new developers, and spread of several new COVID-19 variants have worked as barriers. Therefore, we must prepare systematic processes and funding for future pandemics.