Portable Colorimetric Hydrogel Beads for Point-of-Care Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition with systemic inflammatory responses caused by bacterial infections. Considering the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), sepsis is a great threat to public health. The gold standard methods for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST), however, take at least approximately 3 days to implement the entire blood culture, pure culture, and AST processes. To overcome the time-consuming nature of conventional AST, a method employing a chromatic biosensor composed of poly­(diacetylene), alginate, and LB broth (PAL) is introduced in this study. Compared to the gold standards, AST with PAL biosensors can be completed within a time frame as short as 16 h. Such a significant reduction in time is possible because the consecutive cultures and AST are carried out simultaneously by encapsulating the bacterial nutrients and detection molecules into a single component. The bead-like hydrogel sensors were used in their freeze-dried form, which endows them with portability and stability, thus making them adequate for point-of-care testing. The PAL biosensor yields minimum inhibitory concentrations comparable to those from the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, and the applicability of the biosensor is further shown in MRSA-infected mice

Association between sociodemographic factors and vaccine acceptance for influenza and SARS–CoV–2: A nationwide representative study in South Korea

Background:  To enhance targeted public health strategies and improve age–specific policies based   on   identified   risk   factors,   this   study   investigated   the   associations   between sociodemographic factors and vaccination behaviors during the COVID–19 pandemic, with emphasis on age–specific vaccine cost policies. Methods:  This study analyzed data from the Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS) 2019–2022 with 507,964 participants, to investigate the impact of age–specific policies on vaccination behaviors during the pandemic period. Cohorts aged 19–64 and 65 or older were stratified based on age (years), sociodemographic factors, and health indicators. The cohorts were investigated to assess the influence of relevant risk factors on vaccine acceptance under the pandemic by employing weighted odds ratio and ratio of odd ratios (ROR). Results:  Among total 507,964 participants, the acceptance of SARS–CoV–2   vaccine was higher among individuals with factors possibly indicating higher socioeconomic status, such as higher education level (age 19–64: ROR, 1.34 [95% CI, 1.27–1.40]; age ≥65: 1.19 [1.01–1.41]) and higher income (age 19–64: 1.67 [1.58–1.76]; age ≥65, 1.21 [1.06–1.38]) for both age cohorts, compared to influenza vaccine acceptance before the pandemic. In the context of influenza vaccination during the pandemic, the older cohort exhibited vaccine hesitancy associated with healthcare mobility factors such as lower general health status (ROR, 0.89 [0.81–0.97]). Conclusions:    SARS–CoV–2   vaccination   strategies   should   focus   on   reducing   hesitancy among   individuals   with   lower   social   participation   is   needed.   For   influenza   vaccine acceptance during the pandemic, strategies for the younger cohort should be targeted on individuals with lower social participation, while the older cohort should be emphasized on individuals with lower healthcare mobility.</p

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with mpox during the 2022 mpox outbreak compared with those before the outbreak: A systematic review and meta-analysis

On 23 July 2022, the World Health Organization declared the global mpox outbreak as a public health emergency of international significance. The mpox virus (MPXV) that caused the outbreak was classified as clade IIb, which belongs to the West African clade. However, the relationship between MPXV clades and symptoms, as well as the severity of mpox outcomes, is not fully understood. Thus, we aimed to investigate the global mpox prevalence and the differences in clinical manifestations and outcomes among patients with mpox between pre‐outbreak (2003–2021) and the current mpox outbreak. In this systematic review and meta‐analysis, PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Google Scholar were searched using the keyword “monkeypox” and “mpox” up to 13 October 2022. A random effects model was used to obtain the pooled prevalence and 95% confidence intervals. This study included 27 articles, and 5698 patients with mpox with 19 distinctive features from 19 countries across five continents were assessed. Patients with mpox during the 2022 mpox outbreak showed mild clinical manifestations and outcomes compared with those before the 2022 mpox outbreak: mild rash (relative ratio [RR]: 5.09, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.52–17.08), fever (0.68, 0.49–0.94), pruritus (0.25, 0.19–0.32), myalgia (0.50, 0.31–0.81), headache (0.56, 0.35–0.88), skin ulcer (0.32, 0.17–0.59), abdominal symptom (0.29, 0.20–0.42), pharyngitis (0.32, 0.18–0.58), nausea or vomiting (0.15, 0.02–0.93), conjunctivitis (0.11, 0.03–0.38), concomitant infection with HIV (1.70, 0.95–3 0.04), and death (0.02, 0.001–0.31). MPXV clade IIb exhibited higher infectivity but may cause mild disease symptoms and low mortality rate. It is important to consider MPXV infection in patients with mpox‐related features and/or a history of sexual transmission to prevent the spread of the disease and recognise the current pandemic threat.</p

National Trends in Sadness, Suicidality, and COVID-19 Pandemic–Related Risk Factors Among South Korean Adolescents From 2005 to 2021

Importance Despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on daily life, limited research exists on the prevalence and risk factors of suicidality and sadness among South Korean adolescents. Objectives To examine whether the observed sadness and suicidality in the early to middle periods of the COVID-19 pandemic differed from the expected level and to investigate changes in risk factors for sadness and suicidality. Design, Setting, and Participants This nationwide serial cross-sectional survey study used data on 1 109 776 Korean adolescents aged 13 to 18 years from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey from 2005 to 2021. Exposure The COVID-19 pandemic. Main Outcomes and Measures The pattern of changes in the percentage or proportion of sadness or suicidality, as well as the risk factors for sadness or suicidality. The transitional effect of the COVID-19 pandemic was assessed using weighted odds ratios (wORs) or weighted beta coefficients with 95% CIs. Results Between 2005 and 2021, 1 109 776 adolescents (mean [SD] age, 15.0 [1.7] years; 51.5% male adolescents; and 51.7% in grades 7-9 and 48.3% in grades 10-12) were included in the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. The slope of the long-term trends in sadness and suicidality decreased in the prepandemic period (sadness: from 37.8% [95% CI, 37.4%-38.2%] in 2005-2007 to 26.1% [95% CI, 25.9%-26.4%] in 2016-2019; suicidality: from 23.0% [95% CI, 22.7%-23.3%] in 2005-2007 to 12.3% [95% CI, 12.1%-12.5%] in 2016-2019), whereas the slope increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (sadness: from 25.0% [95% CI, 24.5%-25.6%] in 2020 to 26.6% [95% CI, 26.1%-27.1%] in 2021; trend difference in β, 0.249 [95% CI, 0.236-0.262]; suicidality: from 10.7% [95% CI, 10.3%-11.1%] in 2020 to 12.5% [95% CI, 12.1%-12.9%] in 2021; trend difference in β, 0.328 [95% CI, 0.312-0.344]). The trends presented a similar tendency in the subgroups according to sex, school grade, residential area, smoking status, and current alcohol use. Compared with the prepandemic period, the risk factors associated with sadness during the pandemic were younger age (wOR, 0.907; 95% CI, 0.881-0.933), female sex (wOR, 1.031; 95% CI, 1.001-1.062), urban residence (wOR, 1.120; 95% CI, 1.087-1.153), current smoking status (wOR, 1.134; 95% CI, 1.059-1.216), and current alcohol use (wOR, 1.051; 95% CI, 1.002-1.102). Female sex (wOR, 1.064; 95% CI, 1.021-1.109), urban residence (wOR, 1.117; 95% CI, 1.074-1.162), and low economic status (wOR, 1.286; 95% CI, 1.180-1.403) were the risk factors significantly associated with suicidality after the COVID-19 pandemic began. Conclusions and Relevance In this nationwide serial cross-sectional survey study of South Korean adolescents, the slope of the prevalence of sadness and suicidality increased during the COVID-19 pandemic after a decrease prior to the pandemic. The findings suggest that public health measures are needed to recognize vulnerable groups with risk factors and to prevent an increase in sadness and suicidality among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic

National trends in physical activity among adolescents in South Korea before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic, 2009−2021

With the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic, several previous studies from different countries showed that physical activity (PA) decreased during the COVID‐19 outbreak. However, few studies have examined the recent tendency of PA in the adolescent population. Thus, we aimed to investigate the long‐term trend of PA in Korean youth and the prevalence changes between before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Data from Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web‐Based Survey (KYRBS) was collected for consecutive years between 2009 and 2021. The period was separated into prepandemic (2009−2019), early‐pandemic (2020), and mid‐pandemic (2021). Self‐reported amount of PA was categorized into four groups (insufficient, aerobic, muscle strengthening, and both physical activities) according to World Health Organization (WHO) PA guidelines. A total of 840 488 adolescents aged 12−18 who fully responded to the survey were selected (response rate: 95.2%). The 13‐year trends in the proportion of adolescents who reported aerobic and muscle‐strengthening activities met or exceeded 2020 WHO exercise guidelines for adolescents plateaued (11.9% from 2009 to 2011, 14.2% from 2018 to 2019, 14.4% from 2020, and 14.0% from 2021); however, the slope decreased during the pandemic (βdiff, −0.076; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.123 to −0.029). Proportion of sufficient aerobic exercise among adolescents sharply decreased midst the pandemic (28.0% from 2009 to 2011, 29.4% from 2018 to 2019, and 23.8% from 2020; βdiff, −0.266; 95% CI, −0.306 to −0.226) but increased again in 2021 (26.0% from mid‐COVID 19; 95% CI, 25.4−26.7). Similar patterns were observed in Metabolic Equivalent Task (MET) score (MET‐min/week; 804.1 from 2018 to 2019, 720.9 from 2020, and 779.6 from 2021). The mean difference in MET score between pre‐COVID and post‐COVID was −55.4 MET‐min/week (95% CI, −70.5 to −40.3). Through a nationwide representative study, there was no significant difference with regard to the number of Korean adolescents who achieved the PA guidelines (pre and postpandemic); however, the prevalence of recommended levels of PA needs to increase more based on the trend before the COVID‐19 outbreak. The findings of this study suggest reinforcement of the importance of public health policies for Korean youths to be more physically active, especially during and after the pandemic.</p

Breastfeeding and impact on childhood hospital admissions: a nationwide birth cohort in South Korea

Benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and the child are well established, but a comprehensive and robust study to investigate the protective effect of breastfeeding and attenuated time effect stratified by cause of morbidity are lacking. This study is based on the nationwide birth cohort in Korea that includes data on all infants born from 2009 to 2015. Of 1,608,540 children, the median follow-up period was 8.41 years (interquartile range, 6.76-10.06). When compared to children with fully formula feeding, the hospital admission rate was 12% lower in those with partially breastfeeding and 15% lower in those with exclusive breastfeeding. The apparent protective effect of breastfeeding was reduced with increasing age. Our study provides potential evidence of the beneficial association of breastfeeding on subsequent hospital admissions. The protective effect declined over time as the children grew older. Encouraging any breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months among infants is an important public health strategy to improve overall child health.</p