Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
Characteristics of Ocular Manifestations of Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Daegu Province, Korea.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has reportedly affected almost 23 million people, with more than 800 thousand deaths globally. There have been a few reports on the ocular manifestations of COVID-19 patients in China but no reports in Korea. The present study aimed to examine ocular manifestations of COVID-19 patients in Korea. ⋯ Positive upper respiratory infection symptoms and lower creatine phosphokinase were determined to be related to ocular symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Among these patients, positive upper respiratory infection symptoms were associated with conjunctival congestion.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
The Characteristics of Elderly Individuals Who Attempted Suicide by Poisoning: a Nationwide Cross-sectional Study in Korea.
Suicide among the elderly is a public health concern, as life expectancy is increasing rapidly and suicide rates increase with age. In Korea, self-poisoning is the most common method of attempted suicide. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of attempted suicide by self-poisoning among the elderly and to identify risk factors related to the suicide attempts. ⋯ Self-poisoning among the elderly is associated with poorer clinical outcomes than in younger adult patients. Suicide among the elderly is a potentially preventable public health problem, and with proper identification of the associated risk factors, appropriate multidisciplinary intervention strategies can be implemented.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
Estimating the Effectiveness of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions on COVID-19 Control in Korea.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed significant global public health challenges and created a substantial economic burden. Korea has experienced an extensive outbreak, which was linked to a religion-related super-spreading event. However, the implementation of various non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including social distancing, spring semester postponing, and extensive testing and contact tracing controlled the epidemic. Herein, we estimated the effectiveness of each NPI using a simulation model. ⋯ Among the three NPI measures, social distancing in adults showed the highest effectiveness. The substantial effect of social distancing should be considered when preparing for the 2nd wave of COVID-19.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Sep 2020
Activation of AMPK by Telmisartan Decreases Basal and PDGF-stimulated VSMC Proliferation via Inhibiting the mTOR/p70S6K Signaling Axis.
Telmisartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker (ARB), is widely used to treat hypertension by blocking the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Although abnormal proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a well-established contributor to the development of various vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, the effect of telmisartan on VSMC proliferation and its mechanism of action have not been fully revealed. Herein, we investigated the molecular mechanism whereby telmisartan inhibits rat VSMC proliferation. ⋯ These results demonstrated that telmisartan-activated AMPK inhibited basal and PDGF-stimulated VSMC proliferation, at least in part, by downregulating the mTOR/p70S6K signaling axis in a PPARγ-independent manner. These observations suggest that telmisartan could be used to treat arterial narrowing diseases such as atherosclerosis and restenosis.