Changes in frequency of benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis and their viral causes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a single-center study.

BACKGROUND: Benign convulsions with mild gastroenteritis (CwG) are prevalent in young children during the winter. Early in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, viral gastroenteritis occurrence decreased and seasonal variation was lost, which can change CwG. PURPOSE: Here we investigated changes in frequency, seasonal variation, and causative viruses of CwG during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We screened 1134 patients (3-36 months) with "other and unspecified convulsions" treated at Chonnam National University Hospital between March 2017 and February 2023; of them, we enrolled 41 (3.6%) with CwG. We compared their medical records from period I (March 2017 to February 2020) to those from period II (March 2020 to February 2023). Publicly available viral gastroenteritis surveillance data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) were reviewed as reference. RESULTS: Of the 41 patients with CwG, 18 (2.9% of 613) were affected in period I versus 23 (4.4% of 512) in period II (P=0.184). In period I, CwG mainly occurred in winter and spring (55.6% and 22.2%, respectively). In period II, there were fewer CwG cases (39.1%) in winter and more cases in summer and autumn (26.1% and 17.4%, respectively): the cases of norovirus genogroup II (GII)-associated CwG increased significantly in the summer (38.5% vs. 0%, P= 0.046). Norovirus GII was the most common virus (56.1% of isolates). Enteric adenovirus was the second most common (19.5%), with one case in period I and 7 cases in period II (P=0.059). The clinical characteristics of enteric adenovirus-associated CwG were similar to those of norovirus. Seasonal changes in and viral causes of CwG were consistent with those observed in the KDCA stool surveillance data. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, CwG frequency did not change, seasonal variation was unapparent, and enteric adenovirus-associated CwG frequency increased.

Immediate-start peritoneal dialysis without break-in-period: an 18-year retrospective cohort study on patient survival.

Background: Immediate-start peritoneal dialysis (ISPD) is an effective renal replacement therapy that can prevent central venous catheterization due to its immediate initiation of peritoneal dialysis (PD) after catheter insertion without a break-in period. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ISPD on long-term patient survival. Methods: In this retrospective single-center cohort study, 178 consecutive patients who started PD from August 2005 to March 2023 were enrolled, from whom 144 patients with ISPD were analyzed. PD was initiated without a break-in period within 24 hours of catheter insertion using percutaneous needle-guidewire technique. The primary outcome was patient survival, estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to identify factors independently associated with patient survival. Results: The median follow-up period was 4.00 years (interquartile range, 1.23‒5.75 years). The mean age of patients was 61.6 ± 13.6 years; 58 patients (40.3%) were male and 93 patients (64.6%) were diabetic. Overall patient survival rates at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years were 98.5%, 93.5%, 92.1%, and 65.6%, respectively. The technique survival rates at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years were 88.1%, 74.9%, 63.2%, and 40.2%, respectively. The peritonitis-free survival rates at 1, 3, 5, and 10 years were 92.3%, 76.0%, 59.4%, and 28.0%, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, diabetes was the only factor associated with patient survival and technique survival. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that patient survival and technique survival rates were relatively high in ISPD patients who were catheterized using percutaneous needle-guidewire technique.

Chest Pain and Suspected Myocarditis Related to COVID-19 Vaccination in Adolescents-A Case Series.

As adolescents started to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), suspected myocarditis and pericarditis related to the vaccine were reported in adolescents. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 2,796,270 persons aged 12−18 years were fully vaccinated by December 8. Among these, 9223 adverse events were reported (0.33%). We aimed to elucidate the clinical courses and short-term outcomes for adolescents aged 12−18 with cardiac symptoms and suspected myo- or peri-carditis related to COVID-19 vaccination in South Korea. Methods: We retrospectively collected data on patients ≤ 18 years of age who had suspected myocarditis or pericarditis within 30 days of COVID-19 vaccination, from July 2021 to January 2022. Results: We reported on 40 adolescents in different South Korean provinces at two centers. Twenty-six cases (65%) were male, and the median age was 16 years (range, 13−18; IQR 14.5−17). Twenty-five cases (62.5%) occurred at the first dose, and fifteen (37.5%) occurred after the second dose. Symptoms started at a median of 2 days (range 0−29 days; IQR 1−5 days) after vaccination. The patients were treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (77.5%), intravenous immunoglobulin (2.5%), glucocorticoids (20%), colchicine (5%), or no therapy (15%). Five patients (12.5%) required intensive care unit admission; one patient needed inotropic/vasoactive support. No patients required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or died. The median hospital stay was one day (range 0−8 days; IQR 0−2 days). Twenty-one patients (52.5%) had an abnormal electrocardiogram; among these, seven patients had an elevated ST segment, six patients (15%) had decreased ejection fraction (<55%), and LV function was completely recovered in all of them. Conclusions: Most cases of suspected myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination in adolescents ≤ 18 years had mild symptoms and clinical courses, as well as a complete recovery. Further studies are needed to evaluate long-term outcomes.

Facile synthesis of intense green light emitting LiGdF4:Yb,Er-based upconversion bipyramidal nanocrystals and their polymer composites.

A pathway for achieving intense green light emitting LiGdF4:Yb,Er upconversion nanophosphors (UCNPs) via Y(3+) doping is demonstrated. It was revealed that Y(3+) doping initiated the formation of a tetragonal phase and affected the particle size. Single tetragonal-phase LiGd0.4Y0.4F4:Yb(18%),Er(2%) (LGY0.4F:Yb,Er) UCNPs exhibited strong upconversion (UC) green luminescence and tetragonal bipyramidal morphologies. They showed 1325 and 325-fold higher photoluminescence intensity than the 0 and 80 mol% Y(3+)-doped LiGdF4:Yb,Er UCNPs, respectively. Additionally the particle size (edge length) of LiGdF4:Yb,Er-based upconversion tetragonal bipyramids (UCTBs) was controlled from 60.5 nm to an ultrasmall size of 9.3 nm with varying Y(3+) doping concentration. In an LGY0.4F:Yb,Er UCTB, uniform distribution of all constituent elements was directly confirmed by using high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) image analyses. In particular, existence of activator Er(3+) ions with extremely small quantity was clearly seen over a particle on the EFTEM image. Moreover, the LGY0.4F:Yb,Er UCTBs were successfully incorporated into the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer and the highly transparent UCTB-PDMS composites showed bright green light under the excitation of 980 nm infrared light.

Rational morphology control of ß-NaYF4:Yb,Er/Tm upconversion nanophosphors using a ligand, an additive, and lanthanide doping.

We report the systematic control of the morphology of ß-NaYF4:Yb,Er/Tm upconversion nanophosphors (UCNPs) from large spheres (37.9 nm) to rods (length = 60.1 nm, width = 21.5 nm) and from rods to hexagonal prisms (length = 48.8 nm, width = 44.0 nm) or small spheres (14.0 nm) by the use of a surfactant, an additive, and lanthanide doping. Increasing the ratio of oleic acid (OA) to 1-octadecene (ODE) caused a decrease in the size of the UCNPs, and increasing the OA/ODE ratio above a critical value caused the particle shape to change from a sphere to a rod. The length-to-width aspect ratio (AR) of upconversion nanorods (UCNRs) was finely manipulated from 1.28 to 2.80. The rounded tips of the UCNRs were flattened by adding Cl(-) ions, and the UCNRs changed to hexagonal prisms with a controllable AR depending on the quantity of Cl(-) ions. Additionally, the morphology of the ß-NaYF4-based UCNPs was controlled by lanthanide doping. The size and AR of the UCNRs decreased with Gd(3+) doping, and the UCNRs ultimately transformed into small spheres (14.0 nm) with high monodispersity. Doping with Ce(3+) ions also decreased the AR of the UCNRs from 2.80 to 1.27. In addition, highly transparent polymer composites for 3D volumetric displays were fabricated by blending high-AR ß-NaYF4:Yb,Er/Tm UCNRs with polydimethylsiloxane. These composites exhibited bright green and blue upconversion light during excitation with 980 nm light.