Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly impacted health, culture, and the economy. Although it has had little direct effect on children and adolescents, its indirect effect on them has been significant. In this study, we aim to evaluate the alcohol and tobacco consumption behaviors of adolescents and the economic determination of their families due to COVID-19. Methods: We collected data from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which is an annual cross-sectional national representative survey published by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in South Korea. We considered, in particular, the survey conducted in middle and high school students in 2020. Results: The number of subjects was 54,948 with 28,353 male students and 26,595 female students. The drinking rate was higher in male students and female students in the group with severe economic deterioration compared to the group without deterioration (odd ratio [OR], 1.355; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.175-1.563; OR, 1.199; 95% CI, 0.987-1.457). The smoking rate was higher in male students and female students in the group with severe economic deterioration (OR, 1.435; 95% CI, 1.180-1.745; OR, 1.809; 95% CI, 1.331-2.457). The secondhand smoking rate at home was higher in male students and female students in the group with severe economic deterioration (OR, 1.397; 95% CI, 1.239-1.574; OR, 1.440; 95% CI, 1.263-1.641). Conclusions The economic deterioration due to COVID-19 is a risk factor for alcohol drinking, smoking, and secondhand smoking among adolescents. Our study results suggest the need to pay more attention to youth health management in the event of sudden economic impacts.

Purpose: Early detection of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)-related retinopathy is important. We aimed to determine whether changes in choroidal thickness (ChT) and outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness might signal impending HCQ toxicity before development of retinopathy. Methods: We included patients with systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis who were treated with HCQ and followed for ≥ 12 months. Patients were categorized into groups with no HCQ-related retinopathy (HCQ continued (group A, n = 49) or HCQ discontinued (group B, n = 9) and with HCQ-related retinopathy (group C, n = 9) groups. Using optical coherence tomography (OCT) images, ChT measurements were obtained at the subfovea and 1.5 mm nasal and temporal to the fovea. ONL thickness was obtained from the fovea using inner and outer rings of the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) grid. Results: At baseline, mean ChT was thinner in all of the HCQ intake groups than in normal eyes (n = 35). Among patients with no retinopathy, ChT at all measured locations decreased in group A (average ChT, p < 0.001), whereas the average ChT significantly improved in group B after HCQ discontinuation (p = 0.038). In all HCQ groups, ONL thicknesses in the outer ETDRS ring area continued to show a significant decrease during follow-up, regardless of HCQ continuity (p ≤ 0.050). The association between an average of the outer ETDRS ONL thickness and ChT changes in group A was also statistically significant after adjusting for daily dose per kg and duration of HCQ use (p = 0.042). Conclusions Among patients without HCQ-related retinopathy, ChT continued to decrease during HCQ treatment but stopped thinning and was partially recovered following HCQ discontinuation. ONL thinning was observed progressively regardless of HCQ continuity.ChT and ONL measurements might be used for early detection of HCQ retinal toxicity.

PURPOSE: To report the outcome of scleral buckling using a non-contact wide-angle viewing system with a 25-gauge chandelier endoilluminator. METHODS: Retrospective analyses of medical records were performed for 17 eyes of 16 patients with primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) without proliferative vitreoretinopathy who had undergone conventional scleral buckling with cryoretinopexy using the combination of a non-contact wide-angle viewing system and chandelier endoillumination. RESULTS: The patients were eight males and five females with a mean age of 26.8 ± 10.2 (range, 11 to 47) years. The mean follow-up period was 7.3 ± 3.1 months. Baseline best-corrected visual acuity was 0.23 ± 0.28 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution units. Best-corrected visual acuity at the final visit showed improvement (0.20 ± 0.25 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution units), but the improvement was not statistically significant (p = 0.722). As a surgery-related complication, there was vitreous loss at the end of surgery in one eye. As a postoperative complication, increased intraocular pressure (four cases) and herpes simplex epithelial keratitis (one case) were controlled postoperatively with eye drops. One case of persistent RRD after primary surgery needed additional vitrectomy, and the retina was postoperatively attached. CONCLUSIONS: Scleral buckling with chandelier illumination as a surgical technique for RRD has the advantages of relieving the surgeon's neck pain from prolonged use of the indirect ophthalmoscope and sharing the surgical procedure with another surgical team member. In addition, fine retinal breaks that are hard to identify using an indirect ophthalmoscope can be easily found under the microscope by direct endoillumination.
Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Herpes Simplex ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Keratitis ; Lighting ; Male ; Medical Records ; Neck Pain ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; Ophthalmoscopes ; Postoperative Complications ; Retina ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Perforations ; Retrospective Studies ; Scleral Buckling* ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy ; Vitreoretinopathy, Proliferative

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic greatly impacted the health and economy worldwide. Children and adolescents are less affected by COVID-19 but are more vulnerable to secondary damage, such as mental health. We would like to evaluate the subjective economic changes caused by COVID-19 in Korea and adolescents’ mental health status. Methods: The data are based on the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey, published by the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention in South Korea. It is an annual cross-sectional national representative survey of middle and high school students. There were 54,948 subjects, and the survey was conducted from August 3, 2020 to November 13, 2020. We investigated usual stress, loneliness, anxiety, sadness and hopelessness, and suicidal ideation. Results: We found that the odds ratio of adolescent mental health increased as the economic deterioration caused by COVID-19 increased. Overall, it was more severe in female students, and the greater the economic change, the worse the anxiety in boys and the worse the sadness and hopelessness in girls. Conclusion We hope that it will be possible to prevent and intervene early in adolescents, considering not only the risk of infection from COVID-19 but also mental health, especially mental health related to the economic deterioration caused by COVID-19.

Background: The Fleischner Society established consensus guidelines for imaging in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We investigated the prevalence of pneumonia and the adverse outcomes by dividing groups according to the symptoms and risk factors of patients and assessed the suitability of the Fleischner society imaging guidelines in evaluating chest radiographs of COVID-19 patients. Methods: From February 2020 to May 2020, 685 patients (204 males, mean 58 ± 17.9 years) who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized were included. We divided patients into four groups according to the severity of symptoms and presence of risk factors (age > 65 years and presence of comorbidities). The patient groups were defined as follows: group 1 (asymptomatic patients), group 2 (patients with mild symptoms without risk factors), group 3 (patients with mild symptoms and risk factors), and group 4 (patients with moderate to severe symptoms). According to the Fleischner society, chest imaging is not indicated for groups 1–2 but is indicated for groups 3–4. We compared the prevalence and score of pneumonia on chest radiographs and compare the adverse outcomes (progress to severe pneumonia, intensive care unit admission, and death) between groups. Results: Among the 685 COVID-19 patients, 138 (20.1%), 396 (57.8%), 102 (14.9%), and 49 (7.1%) patients corresponded to groups 1 to 4, respectively. Patients in groups 3–4 were significantly older and showed significantly higher prevalence rates of pneumonia (group 1–4: 37.7%, 51.3%, 71.6%, and 98%, respectively, P < 0.001) than those in groups 1-2. Adverse outcomes were also higher in groups 3–4 than in groups 1–2 (group 1–4: 8.0%, 3.5%, 6.9%, and 51%, respectively, P < 0.001). Patients with adverse outcomes in group 1 were initially asymptomatic but symptoms developed during follow-up. They were older (mean age, 80 years) and most of them had comorbidities (81.8%). Consistently asymptomatic patients had no adverse events. Conclusion The prevalence of pneumonia and adverse outcomes were different according to the symptoms and risk factors in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, as the Fleischner Society recommended, evaluation and monitoring of COVID-19 pneumonia using chest radiographs is necessary for old symptomatic patients with comorbidities.

Background: The predictors of poor prognosis in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using computed tomography (CT) have not been investigated in a large cohort.Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the adverse initial CT features to predict poor prognosis in COVID-19. Methods: From February to April 2020, 281 COVID-19 patients who underwent CT at the time of admission were included. We divided the patients into the severe and non-severe disease groups. The severe group included patients with severe pneumonia or critical events.Intensive care unit admission or death were the critical events in this study. We compared the clinical and CT findings between the severe and non-severe groups and investigated the prognostic factors and critical events of the severe group using the regression analysis. Results: Among the 281 patients, 36 (12.8%) patients were in the severe group and 245 (87.2%) patients were in the non-severe group. Critical events occurred in 10 patients (3.6%).In the severe group, patients showed significantly more pneumonia with consolidation, crazy-paving appearance, pleural effusion, and higher CT scores than those in the non-severe group (all, p < 0.05). In the multivariate regression, pleural effusion (odds ratio [OR], 8.96;95% confidence interval [CI], 1.81–44.42; p = 0.007), CT score > 5 (OR, 3.70; 95% CI, 1.44– 9.53; p = 0.007), old age (> 77 years, OR, 9.96; 95% CI, 3.78–26.28; p < 0.001), and elevated C-reactive protein (OR, 4.15; 95% CI, 1.62–10.6; p = 0.003) were significant prognostic factors of severe disease. CT score > 5 (OR, 7.29; 95% CI, 1.37–38.68; p = 0.020), pleural effusion (OR, 5.67; 95% CI, 1.04–30.8; p = 0.045) and old age (OR, 8.6; 95% CI, 1.80–41.0; p = 0.007) were also significant predictors of critical events. Conclusion Pleural effusion and the extent of pneumonia on initial CT scans are associated with poor prognosis in patients with COVID-19.