Long coronavirus disease (COVID) is a condition in which coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms persist for over 3 months, and currently poses a global public health challenge. Due to varying manifestations and lack of standardized definitions, diagnostic methods, and treatments, comprehensive clinical guidelines are required. This review article, summarizing research and expert consensus up to June 2023, provides recommendations for diagnosis and long-term management of long COVID symptoms. It emphasizes thorough patient evaluation, including medical history, physical examinations, and tests, and advocates vaccination and antiviral treatments to reduce risk. Guidelines for long COVID will be updated as new knowledge emerges.

Objective: It has been 1 year since the start of the worldwide coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study analyzed the indirect effects of COVID-19 on treating patients with non-infectious diseases by comparing the incidence of complicated appendicitis before and after the pandemic. Methods: The target group included patients aged at least 16 years diagnosed with acute appendicitis between February 23 and July 31, 2020. Patients diagnosed during the same period in 2019 were selected as the control group. The differences in the incidence of complicated appendicitis before and after COVID-19 were investigated, and the association with various variables was analyzed using the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: The study included 120 subjects in 2019 (pre-COVID group) and 119 cases in 2020 (post-COVID group). The pre-COVID group included 25 cases (20.8%) of complicated appendicitis, while the post-COVID group included 48 cases (40.3%). The median time from symptom onset to visit (pre-hospital time) increased from 15 to 22 hours, and the median time from the visit to surgery (in-hospital time) increased from 7 to 11 hours. Multivariate regression analysis of the three variables revealed odds ratios (95% CIs) of pre-hospital time, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and inclusion in the post-COVID group of 1.02 (1.01-1.02), 2.07 (1.11-3.86), and 2.15 (1.12-4.11), respectively. Conclusion The incidence of complicated appendicitis increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, a healthcare system that can minimize the delay in treating non-infectious emergency patients is needed.

The introduction of anti-amyloid therapies for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), such as lecanemab (Lequembi®), which was recently approved in Korea, necessitates careful monitoring for amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) using brain MRI. To optimize ARIA monitoring in Korean clinical settings, the Korean Society of Neuroradiology (KSNR) and the Age and Neurodegeneration Imaging (ANDI) Study Group proposed MRI protocol recommendations on essential MR sequences, MRI acquisition parameters, timing and condition of MRI examinations, and essential details to provide a scientific basis for maximizing the safety and efficacy of AD treatment. A customized, standardized MRI protocol focusing on Korea’s healthcare environment can improve ARIA management and ensure patient safety through early detection of potential anti-amyloid therapy side effects, thereby enhancing treatment quality.

South Korea’s current vaccination policies leave a surveillance gap for non-National Immunization Program (NIP) vaccines. In this study, we proposed a sentinel surveillance approach for monitoring the safety of non-NIP vaccines. Vaccination data were collected retrospectively among patients hospitalized with pre-defined adverse events of special interest (AESI) by reviewing electronic medical records in five university hospitals. This approach incorporates expert assessment to determine the causal relationship. We confirmed that 16 patients had received non-NIP vaccines among 860 patients diagnosed with AESI.We concluded one case of preeclampsia was possibly related to tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccination. We propose a multi-hospital-based, retrospective assessment system for predefined AESIs as an alternative to active vaccine safety monitoring method. These efforts are expected to enhance both the accuracy and timeliness of safety monitoring in South Korea.

Inclisiran and bempedoic acid (BA) are non-statin lipid-lowering agents that have been approved for use in the US and Europe. Inclisiran, a subcutaneously administered small interfering RNA targeting proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 messenger RNA, is effectively delivered to the liver via lipid nanoparticles and conjugation. In several phase 3 trials, it has successfully reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) by 50% and has an acceptable safety profile. Currently, the results of clinical outcome studies are awaited. While it is indicated for both primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention, it is selectively recommended after statin-based regimens. BA, an oral inhibitor of adenosine triphosphate-citrate lyase, decreases cholesterol production and enhances LDL uptake by hepatocytes. This enzyme is absent in muscle cells, and BA has fewer muscle-related adverse events. In clinical trials, it lowered LDL-C by 17%–21% compared to placebo and showed a clinical outcome benefit in patients with statin intolerance. This agent modestly increases the incidence of gout and cholelithiasis. For primary and secondary prevention, it may be recommended as a non-first-line agent, either alone or in combination therapy.

Objective: It has been 1 year since the start of the worldwide coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study analyzed the indirect effects of COVID-19 on treating patients with non-infectious diseases by comparing the incidence of complicated appendicitis before and after the pandemic. Methods: The target group included patients aged at least 16 years diagnosed with acute appendicitis between February 23 and July 31, 2020. Patients diagnosed during the same period in 2019 were selected as the control group. The differences in the incidence of complicated appendicitis before and after COVID-19 were investigated, and the association with various variables was analyzed using the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: The study included 120 subjects in 2019 (pre-COVID group) and 119 cases in 2020 (post-COVID group). The pre-COVID group included 25 cases (20.8%) of complicated appendicitis, while the post-COVID group included 48 cases (40.3%). The median time from symptom onset to visit (pre-hospital time) increased from 15 to 22 hours, and the median time from the visit to surgery (in-hospital time) increased from 7 to 11 hours. Multivariate regression analysis of the three variables revealed odds ratios (95% CIs) of pre-hospital time, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and inclusion in the post-COVID group of 1.02 (1.01-1.02), 2.07 (1.11-3.86), and 2.15 (1.12-4.11), respectively. Conclusion The incidence of complicated appendicitis increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, a healthcare system that can minimize the delay in treating non-infectious emergency patients is needed.

The introduction of anti-amyloid therapies for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), such as lecanemab (Lequembi®), which was recently approved in Korea, necessitates careful monitoring for amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA) using brain MRI. To optimize ARIA monitoring in Korean clinical settings, the Korean Society of Neuroradiology (KSNR) and the Age and Neurodegeneration Imaging (ANDI) Study Group proposed MRI protocol recommendations on essential MR sequences, MRI acquisition parameters, timing and condition of MRI examinations, and essential details to provide a scientific basis for maximizing the safety and efficacy of AD treatment. A customized, standardized MRI protocol focusing on Korea’s healthcare environment can improve ARIA management and ensure patient safety through early detection of potential anti-amyloid therapy side effects, thereby enhancing treatment quality.

Background and Objectives: The risk profiles, procedural characteristics, and clinical outcomes for women undergoing bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are not well defined compared to those in men. Methods: COronary BIfurcation Stenting III (COBIS III) is a multicenter, real-world registry of 2,648 patients with bifurcation lesions treated with second-generation drug-eluting stents.We compared the angiographic and procedural characteristics and clinical outcomes based on sex. The primary outcome was 5-year target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and target lesion revascularization. Results: Women (n=635, 24%) were older, had hypertension and diabetes more often, and had smaller main vessel and side branch reference diameters than men. The pre- and post-PCI angiographic percentage diameter stenoses of the main vessel and side branch were comparable between women and men. There were no differences in procedural characteristics between the sexes. Women and men had a similar risk of TLF (6.3% vs. 7.1%, p=0.63) as well as its individual components and sex was not an independent predictor of TLF. This finding was consistent in the left main and 2 stenting subgroups. Conclusions In patients undergoing bifurcation PCI, sex was not an independent predictor of adverse outcome.