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Background: New variants of the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continue to emerge. However, little is known about the effect of these variants on clinical outcomes. This study evaluated the risk factors for poor pulmonary lung function test (PFT). Methods: The study retrospectively analyzed 87 patients in a single hospital and followed up by performing PFTs at an outpatient clinic from January 2020 to December 2021. COVID-19 variants were categorized as either a non-delta variant (November 13, 2020-July 6, 2021) or the delta variant (July 7, 2021-January 29, 2022). Results: The median age of the patients was 62 years, and 56 patients (64.4%) were male. Mechanical ventilation (MV) was provided for 52 patients, and 36 (41.4%) had restrictive lung defects. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) were lower in patients on MV. Male sex (odds ratio [OR], 0.228) and MV (OR, 4.663) were significant factors for decreased DLCO. The duration of MV was associated with decreased FVC and DLCO. However, the type of variant did not affect the decrease in FVC (P=0.750) and DLCO (P=0.639). Conclusions: Among critically ill COVID-19 patients, 40% had restrictive patterns with decreased DLCO. The reduction of PFT was associated with MV, type of variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was conducted to estimate breed-specific variance components for total number born (TNB), number born alive (NBA) and mortality rate from birth through weaning including stillbirths (MORT) of three main swine breeds in Korea. In addition, the importance of including maternal genetic and service sire effects in estimation models was evaluated. Methods: Records of farrowing traits from 6,412 Duroc, 18,020 Landrace, and 54,254 Yorkshire sows collected from January 2001 to September 2016 from different farms in Korea were used in the analysis. Animal models and the restricted maximum likelihood method were used to estimate variances in animal genetic, permanent environmental, maternal genetic, service sire and residuals. Results: The heritability estimates ranged from 0.072 to 0.102, 0.090 to 0.099, and 0.109 to 0.121 for TNB; 0.087 to 0.110, 0.088 to 0.100, and 0.099 to 0.107 for NBA; and 0.027 to 0.031, 0.050 to 0.053, and 0.073 to 0.081 for MORT in the Duroc, Landrace and Yorkshire breeds, respectively. The proportion of the total variation due to permanent environmental effects, maternal genetic effects, and service sire effects ranged from 0.042 to 0.088, 0.001 to 0.031, and 0.001 to 0.021, respectively. Spearman rank correlations among models ranged from 0.98 to 0.99, demonstrating that the maternal genetic and service sire effects have small effects on the precision of the breeding value. Conclusion: Models that include additive genetic and permanent environmental effects are suitable for farrowing traits in Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire populations in Korea. This breedspecific variance components estimates for litter traits can be utilized for pig improvement programs in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims In Korea, ledipasvir (LDV)/sofosbuvir (SOF) has been approved for the treatment of GT1/2/4/5/6 hepatitis C virus infections in adults and adolescents aged 12 to <18 years. Manufacturers in Korea are required to conduct post-marketing surveillance (PMS) and submit annual safety reports to MFDS. This study analysed the results from the 3rd LDV/SOF PMS report. Methods In this open-label, non-interventional study, case report forms of 61 patients were collected from 13 institutions in Korea from October 13, 2017 to October 12, 2018. Of these, 60 were included for safety analysis; one was excluded due to violation of the usage. Fifty-three out of the 60 patients were included in the effectiveness analysis; seven with missing information were excluded. Results Al 60 patients included were GT1-infected; 53.3% were aged ≥65 years; 51.7% were male; 35% were treatment-experienced; 40.0% and 10.0% had compensated and decompensated cirrhosis, respectively. Eighty percent had ≥1 comorbidity like history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hepatocellular carcinoma. Sixty-six point seven percent were on ≥1 comedication and the most commonly used medications were amlodipine, ursodeoxycholic acid and metformin. The LDV/SOF+RBV group (n=11) had more advanced liver diseases than the LDV/SOF group (n=49). The rate of adverse events (AEs) was 43.3% and was higher in the LDV/SOF+RBV (81.8%) groups. The rate of adenoma detection rates (ADRs) was 16.7% and was comparable. The most common ADRs were fatigue, headache, and nausea (n=2, respectively). Three and two patients discontinued LDV/SOF and RBV due to AEs, respectively. LDV/SOF was effective across patient subgroups; 52 out of 53 achieved SVR. Conclusions The 3rd year PMS data demonstrated a good safety profile and high effectiveness in Korean patients without significant safety signals. More cases with further information on safety and effectiveness will be collected for subsequent reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]