Guideline for the Management of Neonates Born to Mothers With COVID-19.

For the extended duration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, reports emerged that mother-to-child transmission rates were low. However, the pandemic protocols including strict isolation, testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and negative pressure isolation remained in Korea. Recently, the guideline for the management of neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 have been revised based on guidelines in other countries. Here, we introduce this newly developed guideline and review the foreign guidelines that were used for reference.Copyright © 2022 The Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

Guideline for the Management of Neonates Born to Mothers With COVID-19

For the extended duration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, reports emerged that mother-to-child transmission rates were low. However, the pandemic protocols including strict isolation, testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and negative pressure isolation remained in Korea. Recently, the guideline for the management of neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 have been revised based on guidelines in other countries. Here, we introduce this newly developed guideline and review the foreign guidelines that were used for reference. © 2022 The Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

17-year trends of body mass index, overweight, and obesity among adolescents from 2005 to 2021, including the COVID-19 pandemic: a Korean national representative study.

OBJECTIVE: There is a lack of pediatric studies that have analyzed trends in mean body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of obesity and overweight over a period that includes the mid-stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, we aimed to investigate trends in BMI, overweight, and obesity among Korean adolescents from 2005 to 2021, including the COVID-19 pandemic. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We used data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS), which is nationally representative of South Korea. The study included middle- and high-school students between the ages of 12 and 18. We examined trends in mean BMI and prevalence of obesity and/or overweight during the COVID-19 pandemic and compared these to those of pre-pandemic trends in each subgroup by gender, grade, and residential region. RESULTS: Data from 1,111,300 adolescents (mean age: 15.04 years) were analyzed. The estimated weighted mean BMI was 20.48 kg/m2 (95% CI, 20.46-20.51) between 2005 and 2007, and this was 21.61 kg/m2 (95% CI, 21.54-21.68) in 2021. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 13.1% (95% CI, 12.9-13.3%) between 2005 and 2007 and 23.4% (95% CI, 22.8-24.0%) in 2021. The mean BMI and prevalence of obesity and overweight have gradually increased over the past 17 years; however, the extent of change in mean BMI and in the prevalence of obesity and overweight during the pandemic was distinctly less than before. The 17-year trends in the mean BMI, obesity, and overweight exhibited a considerable rise from 2005 to 2021; however, the slope during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) was significantly less prominent than in the pre-pandemic (2005-2019). CONCLUSIONS: These findings enable us to comprehend long-term trends in the mean BMI of Korean adolescents and further emphasize the need for practical prevention measures against youth obesity and overweight.

Guideline for the Management of Neonates Born to Mothers With COVID-19.

For the extended duration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, reports emerged that mother-to-child transmission rates were low. However, the pandemic protocols including strict isolation, testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and negative pressure isolation remained in Korea. Recently, the guideline for the management of neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 have been revised based on guidelines in other countries. Here, we introduce this newly developed guideline and review the foreign guidelines that were used for reference. Copyright © 2022 The Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

The Effects of Depression and Optimism on Academic Stress in Korean University Students in COVID-19 Situation

This study confirmed the degree of depression, optimism, academic stress, and COVID-19 life change of college students in the COVID-19 situation. An attempt was made to provide basic data for the development and application of programs to reduce the learning stress of college students. Data collection was conducted from January 1 to February 28, 2022, with the consent of the subjects, and the number of participants used for the final analysis was 170. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression using the SPSS 26.0 statistical program. There was a significant difference according to department satisfaction and personality in the difference in depression according to general characteristics. The optimism of college students was significantly different depending on the department satisfaction and personality. There was a significant difference in the academic stress of college students according to their department satisfaction and personality. When examining the correlation between depression, optimism, and academic stress of the subjects, the depression of college students had a statistically significant negative correlation with optimism. The subject's academic stress had a statistically significant positive correlation with depression and a statistically significant negative correlation with optimism. The degree of life change of college students after COVID-19 was found to be an average of 2.33 points (out of four points). As factors affecting academic stress of college students, department satisfaction and depression showed statistically significant results. Explanatory power of academic stress caused by these factors was 37.3%. Under the COVID-19 situation, academic stress, depression, and optimism of college students had a significant effect on department satisfaction and personality. As academic stress increased, depression also increased, and as academic stress decreased, optimism increased. In other words, it was confirmed that academic stress is an important influencing factor on depression and optimism. Reduction of academic stress seems to be essential to lead a positive daily life such as optimism of college students, and it seems that it is necessary to develop various educational programs to reduce the learning stress of college students in the context of COVID-19. © 2022,Journal for ReAttach Therapy and Developmental Diversities. All Rights Reserved.

Application of VR to Educational System of Korea

Since the breakout of Covid-19, the number of online classes skyrocketed as conducting in-person classes in school has been discouraged. This led to the sudden shift into the adaption of online classes, blurring the line between traditional in-person classes and modern technology. In the Republic of Korea, the nation where it is known for its speed of Internet and high rate of digital natives amongst its citizen, there have been numerous attempts to incorporate virtual reality (VR) into the existing curriculum but has not been getting satisfactory results back. Through interviews and research, this paper tries to assess the current position of VR in the marketplace and suggest possible solutions that can support the expansion of the system into the school. The main purpose of this essay is to analyze whether Google Arts and Culture, one of the most accessible VR assimilated educational platforms, can be blended into the Korean education programs. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Analysis of the Utilization of Telehealth Worldwide and the Requisites for Its Effective Adoption

The popularization of medical devices in households and video calls during the COVID-19 pandemic have set grounds for the necessary conditions for telehealth to thrive. This allowed for patients with chronic diseases to be treated without the need for physical contact with a clinician and to access professional medics regardless of time. However, due to concerns for the safety of sensitive data of patients and both the quality and accuracy of medical treatment provided, telehealth was and is set to become strictly regulated. Finding the necessary technologies to facilitate mobile medical treatment as a viable option for those who struggle with attaining physical presence in hospitals is, therefore, necessary to maintain telehealth. This research aims to conduct user research on how to improve telehealth services to better serve the elderly population. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Status of Ambient PM2.5 Pollution in the Seoul Megacity (2020)

The Center for Air Quality &Control at the Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and the Environment (SIHE) has monitored changes in the concentration of fine dust in Seoul over the past 10 years and investigated meteorological factors as well as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in northeastern China and its contribution to the PM2.5 concentration in Seoul. The concentration of fine dust in Seoul in 2020 was 21 µg/m3, which is down 16% from 2019 and the lowest since 2010. In 2020, China’s emissions of pollutants such as NO2 have decreased significantly due to regional blockades, social distancing, and factory shutdowns caused by COVID-19. As a results, the concentration of precursors such as SO2 and NO2, and PM2.5 in northeastern China are also decreased, which contributed to the reduction in PM2.5 concentration in Seoul caused by westerly winds blowing. In addition, the ratio of east and south winds that usually contain low concentrations of pollutants was more than 30% of the total air currents into Seoul, which is the highest in the last three years. Moreover, the mean wind velocity and the amount of precipitation were also the highest recorded values of 2.4 m/s and 1651.0 mm, respectively. Calculations using Comprehensive Air quality Model with eXtensions (CAMx)-Particulate Source Apportionment Technology (PSAT) show that the contribution of external inflows to the PM2.5 concentration in Seoul was 65%. We believe that the reasons for the low PM2.5 concentration in 2020 are due to meteorological factors and a decrease in air pollution in northeastern China. Meanwhile, the major contribution of emissions in Seoul (resuspended road dust and non-exhaust dust) was high. When the concentration of PM2.5 was high, the contribution of resuspended road dust was reduced due to an increase of secondary generating materials. Currently, data on emission reduction due to the COVID-19 cannot be assessed, which we believe will enable more accurate contribution calculations in the future. © 2021