Since a novel beta-coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in December 2019, there has been a rapid global spread of the virus. Genomic surveillance was conducted on samples isolated from infected individuals to monitor the spread of genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2 in Korea. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency performed whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in Korea for 1 year (January 2020 to January 2021). A total of 2,488 SARSCoV-2 cases were sequenced (including 648 cases from abroad). Initially, the prevalent clades of SARSCoV-2 were the S and V clades, however, by March 2020, GH clade was the most dominant. Only international travelers were identified as having G or GR clades, and since the first variant 501Y.V1 was identified (from a traveler from the United Kingdom on December 22 nd , 2020), a total of 27 variants of 501Y.V1, 501Y.V2, and 484K.V2 have been classified (as of January 25 th , 2021). The results in this study indicated that quarantining of travelers entering Korea successfully prevented dissemination of the SARS-CoV-2 variants in Korea.

Following reports of patients with unexplained pneumonia at the end of December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the causative agent was identified as coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), and the 2019 novel coronavirus disease was named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization. Putative patients with COVID-19 have been identified in South Korea, and attempts have been made to isolate the pathogen from these patients.

As of February 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak started in China in December 2019 has been spreading in many countries in the world. With the numbers of confirmed cases are increasing, information on the epidemiologic investigation and clinical manifestation have been accumulated. However, data on viral load kinetics in confirmed cases are lacking. Here, we present the viral load kinetics of the first two confirmed patients with mild to moderate illnesses in Korea in whom distinct viral load kinetics are shown. This report suggests that viral load kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 may be different from that of previously reported other coronavirus infections such as SARS-CoV.
China ; Coronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; Humans ; Kinetics ; Korea ; SARS Virus ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; Viral Load

As of February 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak started in China in December 2019 has been spreading in many countries in the world. With the numbers of confirmed cases are increasing, information on the epidemiologic investigation and clinical manifestation have been accumulated. However, data on viral load kinetics in confirmed cases are lacking. Here, we present the viral load kinetics of the first two confirmed patients with mild to moderate illnesses in Korea in whom distinct viral load kinetics are shown. This report suggests that viral load kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 may be different from that of previously reported other coronavirus infections such as SARS-CoV.

BACKGROUND: Discontinuation of antiepileptic drug (AED) is valuable in patients of epilepsy who have been seizure free for a considerable time. However, there are few established methods to successfully stop AED. The purpose of study was to find the prognostic factors and the method of desirable AED withdrawal. METHODS: Seventy-eight patients who were seizure free for more than 18 months were enrolled in this retrospective study. The patients were followed for more than 2 years after starting withdrawal, or until seizure recurrence within 2 years. To clarify the prognostic factors affecting the seizure recurrence related to the withdrawal, statistical analyses were done about AED types, EEG before withdrawal, sex, age, onset age of seizure, febrile convulsion, family history, brain CT/MRI, trauma history, loss of consciousness history, seizure nature, and duration of seizure free. Furthermore, survival analysis between groups over the duration of withdrawal period and AED decrement rate was done to elucidate the most successful methods of AED withdrawal. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients (73%) experienced seizure recurrence after starting withdrawal within 2 years. Over 12 months of withdrawal duration (p=0.037) and under 20 percent per month of the decrement rate of carbamazepine (p=0.019) were related to reduce the seizure recurrence. These were also confirmed via survival curve analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This study is a new attempt to apply reduction rate in withdrawal. AED withdrawal duration and decrement rate are important factor to prognostic factors of desirable AED withdrawal and minimize the recurrence after withdrawal.
Age of Onset ; Anticonvulsants ; Brain ; Carbamazepine ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures ; Seizures, Febrile ; Unconsciousness

BACKGROUND: Toxic epidermal necrolysis(TEN) is the most dramatic and life-threatening cutaneous drug reaction. However, specific and effective treatment for TEN have not yet been identified. Recently several reports suggested that high dose intravenous immunoglobulin(IV Ig) treatment has produced good results in patients with TEN. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the efficacy and side effects of IV Ig in treatement of TEN. METHODS: Ten patients with clinicopathological diagnosis of TEN were treated with IV Ig(1.6-3.4g/kg), and clinical efficacy and side effects were observed. RESULTS: Nine patients were healed and one died of sepsis. Interruption of further epidermal detachment occurred after an average 3 days from the onset of IV Ig therapy. Complete wound healing occurred after an average of 14.3 days. The side effects of IV Ig including headache, myalgia, nausea, transient neutropenia, and coombs positive hemolytic anemia were observed in 4 patients but normalized after cessation of IV Ig therapy. Three of them showed complete healing of detached skin but died with aggravation of underlying disease. CONCLUSION: IV Ig therapy represents a safe and very effective treatment for TEN. Furthermore, intensive care for underlying diseases is also very important for reducing the mortality rate in patients with TEN.
Anemia, Hemolytic ; Diagnosis ; Headache ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins* ; Critical Care ; Mortality ; Myalgia ; Nausea ; Neutropenia ; Sepsis ; Skin ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome* ; Wound Healing

BACKGROUND: In many epidemiologic reports of distribution of skin diseases, the outpatients of university hospitals have been the target groups of the analysis. But there has been no epidemiologic study of dermatoses in the field of rural area. OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to investigate the distribution of skin diseases in rural areas and to evaluate the rural population's concept of skin disease and the attitude to their skin problems. METHOD: We analysed the results of interview and responses of questionnaires from 481 residents who visited the local public health centers and the free clinics in the rural areas of Kyonggi-Do and Ulsan city. RESULTS: The results of the study are summarized as follows : 1. Of 481 residents, there were 328 females and 153 males. The mean age was 56.6 years old. The residents over 50 years old formed 73.2 percent of total population. 2. The common dermatoses were tinea pedis, onychomycosis, xerosis, seborrheic keratosis, chloasma, pruritus, hand eczema, contact dermatitis, lentigo, seborrheic dermatitis in order of frequency. 3. The cutaneous fungal infection was the most common dermatoses in each study population. 4. To treat skin diseases, 51.2% of the residents visited the drug store initially. 5. The major reason of not taking dermatological care in the rural population was customary habit. 6. The 39.5% of 238 respondents have used self-treatments, and 15.5% of 90 respondents have experienced side effects of self-treatments. 7. On the question about the negative concepts of dermatoses, 61.7% of 462 respondents agreed to the statement that dermatoses look unclean. 8. Half of the 463 respondents thought that dermatologic medicine was harmful. The 50.6% of the 328 respondents had no specific reason, and 34.1% experienced gastrointestinal trouble. 9. The most favorite type of dermatologic medicine was topical agent, which was preferred especially by the group of respondents using nonmedical service including drug store. CONCLUSION: The distribution of the skin diseases in rural areas was similar to other reported results except the high frequency of cutaneous fungal infection. This research could be a basis on the following epidemiologic studies of the skin diseases in rural areas. It is also suggested that the educational program to improve understanding of skin diseases should be performed in the rural areas.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hand ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Keratosis, Seborrheic ; Lentigo ; Male ; Melanosis ; Middle Aged ; Onychomycosis ; Outpatients ; Pruritus ; Public Health ; Rural Population ; Skin Diseases* ; Skin* ; Tinea Pedis ; Ulsan

Cutaneous metastases from internal malignancies are uncommon and a zosteriform pattern is very rare. Malignancies with zosteriform cutaneous metastases have their origin from skin cancers, vascular tumors, hematologic malignancies, and visceral neoplasia. We present the case of a 44-year-old female with zosteriform metastasis secondary to breast carcinoma. In our case, as in some of the cases from the literature, the patient was initially misdiagnosed clinically as having herpes zoster. Moreover, herpes viral infections are common in immunosuppressed patients and must be ruled out.
Adult ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Female ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Skin Neoplasms

An atypical form of scabies is crusted or Norwegian sacbies, which is often seen in the physically or mentally handicapped, immunocompromised, and institutionalized persons. The characteristic skin lesions in this form are gross scaling and hyperkeratotic plaque, especially on the hands, feet, scalp, face, and pressure bearing areas with varying degrees of pruritus. We report a case of Norwegian scabies in a 81 year old patient with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using systemic steroid.
Aged, 80 and over ; Foot ; Hand ; Humans ; Institutionalization ; Mentally Disabled Persons ; Pruritus ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Scabies* ; Scalp ; Skin

Cheilitis granulomatosa as a monosymtomatic form of the Melkersson-Rosenthal sydrome, was charaterized by reccurrent or persistent edema in the orofacial lesion that could not be explained on the basis of infections, systemic, malignant, or connective tissue disorders. Herein we report two cases of cheilitis granulomatosa which have been treated with triamcinolone acetonide intralesional injection, hydroxychloroquine 400mg per day. After a short course of systemic steroids the swelling of the lip improved.
Cheilitis* ; Connective Tissue ; Edema ; Hydroxychloroquine ; Injections, Intralesional ; Lip ; Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome* ; Steroids ; Triamcinolone Acetonide