Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common cause of bacterial respiratory infections, and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Pneumococcal vaccines are effective to prevent pneumococcal infections, and new vaccines have recently been developed to enhance their preventive potency. New vaccines have been designed to protect against a broad range of pneumococcal serotypes and to elevate their efficacy against traditionally targeted serotypes. In 2021, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination, advising the use of new vaccines, 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) or PCV15, instead of PCV13. In Korea, PCV15 was introduced in 2024, along with guidelines recommending the administration of both PCV15 and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine at least one year apart. However, as PCV20 is expected to be introduced soon in Korea, a pneumococcal vaccination strategy must be established with guidance for overseas cases.Pneumococcal vaccination strategies for adults should be individualized based on age and underlying diseases. In addition, the impact of newly introduced vaccines should be considered. Furthermore, adaptive changes in IPD because of increased vaccination rates and antibiotic resistance should be carefully observed, and efforts should be made to develop vaccines that can effectively protect against dangerous serotypes.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common cause of bacterial respiratory infections, and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Pneumococcal vaccines are effective to prevent pneumococcal infections, and new vaccines have recently been developed to enhance their preventive potency. New vaccines have been designed to protect against a broad range of pneumococcal serotypes and to elevate their efficacy against traditionally targeted serotypes. In 2021, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination, advising the use of new vaccines, 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) or PCV15, instead of PCV13. In Korea, PCV15 was introduced in 2024, along with guidelines recommending the administration of both PCV15 and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine at least one year apart. However, as PCV20 is expected to be introduced soon in Korea, a pneumococcal vaccination strategy must be established with guidance for overseas cases.Pneumococcal vaccination strategies for adults should be individualized based on age and underlying diseases. In addition, the impact of newly introduced vaccines should be considered. Furthermore, adaptive changes in IPD because of increased vaccination rates and antibiotic resistance should be carefully observed, and efforts should be made to develop vaccines that can effectively protect against dangerous serotypes.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common cause of bacterial respiratory infections, and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Pneumococcal vaccines are effective to prevent pneumococcal infections, and new vaccines have recently been developed to enhance their preventive potency. New vaccines have been designed to protect against a broad range of pneumococcal serotypes and to elevate their efficacy against traditionally targeted serotypes. In 2021, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination, advising the use of new vaccines, 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) or PCV15, instead of PCV13. In Korea, PCV15 was introduced in 2024, along with guidelines recommending the administration of both PCV15 and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine at least one year apart. However, as PCV20 is expected to be introduced soon in Korea, a pneumococcal vaccination strategy must be established with guidance for overseas cases.Pneumococcal vaccination strategies for adults should be individualized based on age and underlying diseases. In addition, the impact of newly introduced vaccines should be considered. Furthermore, adaptive changes in IPD because of increased vaccination rates and antibiotic resistance should be carefully observed, and efforts should be made to develop vaccines that can effectively protect against dangerous serotypes.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a common cause of bacterial respiratory infections, and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Pneumococcal vaccines are effective to prevent pneumococcal infections, and new vaccines have recently been developed to enhance their preventive potency. New vaccines have been designed to protect against a broad range of pneumococcal serotypes and to elevate their efficacy against traditionally targeted serotypes. In 2021, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations for pneumococcal vaccination, advising the use of new vaccines, 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) or PCV15, instead of PCV13. In Korea, PCV15 was introduced in 2024, along with guidelines recommending the administration of both PCV15 and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine at least one year apart. However, as PCV20 is expected to be introduced soon in Korea, a pneumococcal vaccination strategy must be established with guidance for overseas cases.Pneumococcal vaccination strategies for adults should be individualized based on age and underlying diseases. In addition, the impact of newly introduced vaccines should be considered. Furthermore, adaptive changes in IPD because of increased vaccination rates and antibiotic resistance should be carefully observed, and efforts should be made to develop vaccines that can effectively protect against dangerous serotypes.

PURPOSE: Skin graft is the gold standard surgical treatment in burn wound management. Until now, wet to dry dressing is regarded as the traditionally standard dressing for skin graft. But it needs to be changed daily, burdens the patients and medical caring team and is time consuming. The authors apply VAC to skin graft to secure the skin and compared the outcomes with previous standard dressing technique. METHODS: 38 burn patients who underwent skin graft were included in this study. Patients were selected with their consent for inclusion in an experimental group and a control group. Patients in the experimental group received a VAC appliance after split-thickness skin graft, while those in the control group received wet to dry dressing after the procedure. Time to complete epithelization, rates of skin graft taken areas, satisfaction of patients and medical caring team was evaluated. RESULTS: A shorter time to complete epithelization (12.5 days) was observed in the experimental group than in the control group (14.6 days), and a higher rates of skin graft taken areas (89%) was observed in the experimental group when compared with the control group (84.5%), A higher satisfaction of both the patients and doctors was observed in the experimental group, compared to the control group, with all statistical significance (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: VAC shortens epithelization period and elevate skin graft taken rates. It also makes the patients and doctors the comfortable in burn patients. The VAC is an excellent alternative for securing skin graft.
Bandages ; Burns ; Humans ; Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy ; Skin ; Transplants

PURPOSE: Skin graft is the gold standard surgical treatment in burn wound management. But it has functional and aesthetic limitations, such as burn scar contracture, low quality of the grafted skin, unnatural looking skin, loss of skin elasticity, especially in extensive deep burn wound which has tendon or bone exposed. The authors used Matriderm(R), a dermal analogue, with split-thickness skin graft simultaneously in burn wound and evaluate the effectiveness of Matriderm(R) for treatment of burn wounds, in comparison with the skin graft only. METHODS: 40 burn patients with skin graft were included in this study. Patients were selected with their consent for inclusion in an experimental group and a control group. Patients in the experimental group received a meshed Matriderm(R) appliance and a split-thickness skin graft, while those in the control group received only a split-thickness skin graft. Time to complete epithelization, rates of skin graft taken areas, Vancouver scar scale assessment, skin elasticity was evaluated. RESULTS: A better scores of Vancouver scar scale assessment (3 points) were observed in the experimental group with the control group (6 points) with statistical significance (P<0.05). A higher elasticity ratio of the affected side to the non-affected side was observed in the experimental group, compared with the control group (P<0.05), and a similar time to complete epithelization and rates of skin graft taken areas were observed in the experimental group when compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Meshed Matriderm(R) enables effective healing and improves functional and aesthetic results in split thickness skin graft treatment of burn wounds.
Burns ; Cicatrix ; Contracture ; Elasticity ; Humans ; Skin ; Skin Transplantation ; Tendons ; Transplants

Objective: Prior research has emphasized psychological resilience as a potential protective factor against alcohol use disorder in diverse populations, with limited exploration of its relationship in the general population. This study investigated the association between the lifetime and one-year prevalence of alcohol use disorder and resilience. Methods: Data obtained from the National Mental Health Survey of Korea 2021 (5,511 participants; 40.7% response rate) encompassed information on alcohol use disorders, resilience, experiences of psychological trauma, and major mental disorders. The analyses compared demographics, psychological trauma, resilience, and the prevalence of major mental disorders based on alcoholism. The contribution of resilience to alcoholism was assessed utilizing Rao-Scott logistic regression, with adjustments made for confounding variables. Results: Individuals with both lifetime and 1-year alcohol use disorder and dependence exhibited significantly lower levels of resilience on the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Diminished resilience predicted morbidity and persisted even after adjusting for depressive and anxiety disorders, psychological trauma, nicotine use disorders, age, gender, education, income, marital status, and occupation. Conclusion Diminished resilience is a prognostic indicator of increased likelihood of both lifetime and current alcoholism in the general population.

Objective: Prior research has emphasized psychological resilience as a potential protective factor against alcohol use disorder in diverse populations, with limited exploration of its relationship in the general population. This study investigated the association between the lifetime and one-year prevalence of alcohol use disorder and resilience. Methods: Data obtained from the National Mental Health Survey of Korea 2021 (5,511 participants; 40.7% response rate) encompassed information on alcohol use disorders, resilience, experiences of psychological trauma, and major mental disorders. The analyses compared demographics, psychological trauma, resilience, and the prevalence of major mental disorders based on alcoholism. The contribution of resilience to alcoholism was assessed utilizing Rao-Scott logistic regression, with adjustments made for confounding variables. Results: Individuals with both lifetime and 1-year alcohol use disorder and dependence exhibited significantly lower levels of resilience on the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Diminished resilience predicted morbidity and persisted even after adjusting for depressive and anxiety disorders, psychological trauma, nicotine use disorders, age, gender, education, income, marital status, and occupation. Conclusion Diminished resilience is a prognostic indicator of increased likelihood of both lifetime and current alcoholism in the general population.

Objective: Prior research has emphasized psychological resilience as a potential protective factor against alcohol use disorder in diverse populations, with limited exploration of its relationship in the general population. This study investigated the association between the lifetime and one-year prevalence of alcohol use disorder and resilience. Methods: Data obtained from the National Mental Health Survey of Korea 2021 (5,511 participants; 40.7% response rate) encompassed information on alcohol use disorders, resilience, experiences of psychological trauma, and major mental disorders. The analyses compared demographics, psychological trauma, resilience, and the prevalence of major mental disorders based on alcoholism. The contribution of resilience to alcoholism was assessed utilizing Rao-Scott logistic regression, with adjustments made for confounding variables. Results: Individuals with both lifetime and 1-year alcohol use disorder and dependence exhibited significantly lower levels of resilience on the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Diminished resilience predicted morbidity and persisted even after adjusting for depressive and anxiety disorders, psychological trauma, nicotine use disorders, age, gender, education, income, marital status, and occupation. Conclusion Diminished resilience is a prognostic indicator of increased likelihood of both lifetime and current alcoholism in the general population.

Objective: Prior research has emphasized psychological resilience as a potential protective factor against alcohol use disorder in diverse populations, with limited exploration of its relationship in the general population. This study investigated the association between the lifetime and one-year prevalence of alcohol use disorder and resilience. Methods: Data obtained from the National Mental Health Survey of Korea 2021 (5,511 participants; 40.7% response rate) encompassed information on alcohol use disorders, resilience, experiences of psychological trauma, and major mental disorders. The analyses compared demographics, psychological trauma, resilience, and the prevalence of major mental disorders based on alcoholism. The contribution of resilience to alcoholism was assessed utilizing Rao-Scott logistic regression, with adjustments made for confounding variables. Results: Individuals with both lifetime and 1-year alcohol use disorder and dependence exhibited significantly lower levels of resilience on the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Diminished resilience predicted morbidity and persisted even after adjusting for depressive and anxiety disorders, psychological trauma, nicotine use disorders, age, gender, education, income, marital status, and occupation. Conclusion Diminished resilience is a prognostic indicator of increased likelihood of both lifetime and current alcoholism in the general population.