Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of cerebral computed tomography angiography (CTA) obtained with reduced iodine and low radiation at 70 kVp and the effect of deep learning-based augmented contrast enhancement (DL-ACE) and denoising (DL-DN) algorithms on the CTA quality. Materials and Methods: In this prospective study, 47 healthy volunteers (male:female, 31:16; mean age ± standard deviation, 57.8 ± 10.9 years) were randomly assigned to one of three CTA protocols: Group A (n = 16; 100 kVp, 40 mL of 350 mgI/mL), Group B (n = 16; 70 kVp, 40 mL of 270 mgI/mL), and Group C (n = 15; 70 kVp, 28 mL of 270 mgI/mL [ultralow iodine]), with an injection rate of 2.5 mL/s for all. Images were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), and images in Groups B and C were additionally reconstructed using DL-ACE and DL-DN. Arterial attenuation, image noise, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and subjective image quality were compared among five image sets. Results: Compared with Group A, Groups B and C received 23.7% lower radiation doses. With FBP, arterial attenuation was significantly higher in Groups B (435.8 ± 50.2 Hounsfield units [HU]) and C (391.8 ± 52.1 HU) than in Group A (321.1 ± 47.4 HU) (P < 0.001), while CNR did not differ significantly (Group A, 19.9 ± 4.7; Group B, 20.3 ± 3.8; and Group C, 18.4 ± 4.6) due to higher image noise in Groups B and C. After applying DL-ACE and DL-DN in Groups B and C, arterial attenuation increased by 45.4% and image noise decreased by 34.5%, resulting in significantly higher arterial attenuation, CNR, and subjective image quality compared with Group A (P < 0.001). Conclusion Cerebral CTA at 70-kVp using ultralow iodine enhanced arterial attenuation but increased image noise compared with the 100-kVp CTA protocol. DL-ACE and DL-DN significantly increased arterial attenuation and reduced image noise, resulting in higher CNR and better subjective image quality.

The emergence of the omicron variant and its sub-lineages has necessitated vaccine updates for coronavirus disease 2019. In September 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an updated BNT162b2 vaccine targeting the omicron XBB.1.5 variant, which was initiated in Korea in October 2024. This study demonstrates the adverse events reported through active nationwide surveillance after XBB.1.5 vaccination in Korea. Since October 19, 2023, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has conducted daily Short Message Service surveys to collect data on health issues, fever, vaccination site reactions, systemic symptoms, impact on daily life, and healthcare visits. Among 20,180 respondents, 27.9% reported health issues. Adverse reactions peaked on day 1 (28.7%), including pain at the vaccination site, muscle pain, fatigue, and fever. These findings elucidate the short-term safety of the XBB.1.5 vaccine and support its co-administration with the influenza vaccine, reducing vaccine hesitancy and achieving herd immunity.

Background: This study sought to research the implementation of pharmaceutical care services and review the pharmaceutical care services used for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: All articles reporting pharmacists’ implementation of pharmaceutical care services during the COVID-19 pandemic were comprehensively searched in PubMed/Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases up toJuly 7, 2021, then included in this study. Twenty-four items of pharmaceutical care services were classified into the following 5categories: patient evaluation and monitoring, clinical decision support, compounding/dispensing/administration, patient consultation and education, and drug-related policy research and development. Results: A total of 674 articles from 100 countrieswere included, with the United States of America being the most frequently studied country. Across the 5 classified categories,compounding/dispensing/administration was most frequently examined (28.9%), followed by patient consultation and education (25.2%). Among the 24 items of pharmaceutical care services, medicine supply management was most frequently reported on (11.4%), followed by patient consultations (11.0%). The primary implemented pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination were public health education, COVID-19 testing services, medicine supply management, and vaccination, respectively. Conclusion Pharmacists have implemented diverse pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination globally. Further studies should be conducted to determine the correlation between the characteristics of healthcare accessibility in a country and the implemented pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19.

Background: This study sought to research the implementation of pharmaceutical care services and review the pharmaceutical care services used for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: All articles reporting pharmacists’ implementation of pharmaceutical care services during the COVID-19 pandemic were comprehensively searched in PubMed/Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases up toJuly 7, 2021, then included in this study. Twenty-four items of pharmaceutical care services were classified into the following 5categories: patient evaluation and monitoring, clinical decision support, compounding/dispensing/administration, patient consultation and education, and drug-related policy research and development. Results: A total of 674 articles from 100 countrieswere included, with the United States of America being the most frequently studied country. Across the 5 classified categories,compounding/dispensing/administration was most frequently examined (28.9%), followed by patient consultation and education (25.2%). Among the 24 items of pharmaceutical care services, medicine supply management was most frequently reported on (11.4%), followed by patient consultations (11.0%). The primary implemented pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination were public health education, COVID-19 testing services, medicine supply management, and vaccination, respectively. Conclusion Pharmacists have implemented diverse pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination globally. Further studies should be conducted to determine the correlation between the characteristics of healthcare accessibility in a country and the implemented pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19.

The emergence of the omicron variant and its sub-lineages has necessitated vaccine updates for coronavirus disease 2019. In September 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an updated BNT162b2 vaccine targeting the omicron XBB.1.5 variant, which was initiated in Korea in October 2024. This study demonstrates the adverse events reported through active nationwide surveillance after XBB.1.5 vaccination in Korea. Since October 19, 2023, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has conducted daily Short Message Service surveys to collect data on health issues, fever, vaccination site reactions, systemic symptoms, impact on daily life, and healthcare visits. Among 20,180 respondents, 27.9% reported health issues. Adverse reactions peaked on day 1 (28.7%), including pain at the vaccination site, muscle pain, fatigue, and fever. These findings elucidate the short-term safety of the XBB.1.5 vaccine and support its co-administration with the influenza vaccine, reducing vaccine hesitancy and achieving herd immunity.

The emergence of the omicron variant and its sub-lineages has necessitated vaccine updates for coronavirus disease 2019. In September 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an updated BNT162b2 vaccine targeting the omicron XBB.1.5 variant, which was initiated in Korea in October 2024. This study demonstrates the adverse events reported through active nationwide surveillance after XBB.1.5 vaccination in Korea. Since October 19, 2023, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has conducted daily Short Message Service surveys to collect data on health issues, fever, vaccination site reactions, systemic symptoms, impact on daily life, and healthcare visits. Among 20,180 respondents, 27.9% reported health issues. Adverse reactions peaked on day 1 (28.7%), including pain at the vaccination site, muscle pain, fatigue, and fever. These findings elucidate the short-term safety of the XBB.1.5 vaccine and support its co-administration with the influenza vaccine, reducing vaccine hesitancy and achieving herd immunity.

The emergence of the omicron variant and its sub-lineages has necessitated vaccine updates for coronavirus disease 2019. In September 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an updated BNT162b2 vaccine targeting the omicron XBB.1.5 variant, which was initiated in Korea in October 2024. This study demonstrates the adverse events reported through active nationwide surveillance after XBB.1.5 vaccination in Korea. Since October 19, 2023, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has conducted daily Short Message Service surveys to collect data on health issues, fever, vaccination site reactions, systemic symptoms, impact on daily life, and healthcare visits. Among 20,180 respondents, 27.9% reported health issues. Adverse reactions peaked on day 1 (28.7%), including pain at the vaccination site, muscle pain, fatigue, and fever. These findings elucidate the short-term safety of the XBB.1.5 vaccine and support its co-administration with the influenza vaccine, reducing vaccine hesitancy and achieving herd immunity.

Background: This study sought to research the implementation of pharmaceutical care services and review the pharmaceutical care services used for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: All articles reporting pharmacists’ implementation of pharmaceutical care services during the COVID-19 pandemic were comprehensively searched in PubMed/Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases up toJuly 7, 2021, then included in this study. Twenty-four items of pharmaceutical care services were classified into the following 5categories: patient evaluation and monitoring, clinical decision support, compounding/dispensing/administration, patient consultation and education, and drug-related policy research and development. Results: A total of 674 articles from 100 countrieswere included, with the United States of America being the most frequently studied country. Across the 5 classified categories,compounding/dispensing/administration was most frequently examined (28.9%), followed by patient consultation and education (25.2%). Among the 24 items of pharmaceutical care services, medicine supply management was most frequently reported on (11.4%), followed by patient consultations (11.0%). The primary implemented pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination were public health education, COVID-19 testing services, medicine supply management, and vaccination, respectively. Conclusion Pharmacists have implemented diverse pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination globally. Further studies should be conducted to determine the correlation between the characteristics of healthcare accessibility in a country and the implemented pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19.

Background: This study sought to research the implementation of pharmaceutical care services and review the pharmaceutical care services used for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: All articles reporting pharmacists’ implementation of pharmaceutical care services during the COVID-19 pandemic were comprehensively searched in PubMed/Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases up toJuly 7, 2021, then included in this study. Twenty-four items of pharmaceutical care services were classified into the following 5categories: patient evaluation and monitoring, clinical decision support, compounding/dispensing/administration, patient consultation and education, and drug-related policy research and development. Results: A total of 674 articles from 100 countrieswere included, with the United States of America being the most frequently studied country. Across the 5 classified categories,compounding/dispensing/administration was most frequently examined (28.9%), followed by patient consultation and education (25.2%). Among the 24 items of pharmaceutical care services, medicine supply management was most frequently reported on (11.4%), followed by patient consultations (11.0%). The primary implemented pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination were public health education, COVID-19 testing services, medicine supply management, and vaccination, respectively. Conclusion Pharmacists have implemented diverse pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and vaccination globally. Further studies should be conducted to determine the correlation between the characteristics of healthcare accessibility in a country and the implemented pharmaceutical care services for COVID-19.

Purpose: Renal tumors account for approximately 7% of all childhood cancers. These include Wilms tumor (WT), clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK), malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) and other rare tumors. We investigated the epidemiology of pediatric renal tumors in Korea. Materials and Methods: From January 2001 to December 2015, data of pediatric patients (0–18 years) newly-diagnosed with renal tumors at 26 hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among 439 patients (male, 240), the most common tumor was WT (n=342, 77.9%), followed by RCC (n=36, 8.2%), CCSK (n=24, 5.5%), MRTK (n=16, 3.6%), CMN (n=12, 2.7%), and others (n=9, 2.1%). Median age at diagnosis was 27.1 months (range 0-225.5) and median follow-up duration was 88.5 months (range 0-211.6). Overall, 32 patients died, of whom 17, 11, 1, and 3 died of relapse, progressive disease, second malignant neoplasm, and treatment-related mortality. Five-year overall survival and event free survival were 97.2% and 84.8% in WT, 90.6% and 82.1% in RCC, 81.1% and 63.6% in CCSK, 60.3% and 56.2% in MRTK, and 100% and 91.7% in CMN, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion The pediatric renal tumor types in Korea are similar to those previously reported in other countries. WT accounted for a large proportion and survival was excellent. Non-Wilms renal tumors included a variety of tumors and showed inferior outcome, especially MRTK. Further efforts are necessary to optimize the treatment and analyze the genetic characteristics of pediatric renal tumors in Korea.