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Since the first imported case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was confirmed in South Korea on January 20, 2020, a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases has been observed, [...]

South Korea had 10,801 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by May 4, 2020 (1). The epidemic curve of the cumulative number of cases had plateaued in April (Appendix Figure [...]

At least 246 cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been linked to nightclubs in Seoul, South Korea. During the April 30-May 5 holiday, young adults from across the country who visited nightclubs in Seoul contracted COVID-19 and spread it nationally. Nightclubs were temporarily closed to limit COVID-19 spread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem Th17 cells and Foxp3+ regulatory T ( Treg) cells have been proposed as new risk factors for recurrent pregnancy loss ( RPL). Intravenous immunoglobulin G ( IVIG) was reported to modulate various immune cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of IVIG on the levels of Th17 and Treg cells and pregnancy outcome in women with RPL. Method of study Thirty-seven pregnant women with RPL were enrolled in this study. All had cellular immune abnormality in preconceptional evaluation. Blood was drawn on the day of IVIG treatment and 1 week later from the study subjects during early pregnancy. The proportions of IL-17+ and Foxp3+ T cells were analyzed using flow cytometry. Results Study population was divided into four groups ( Q1- Q4) based on ascending order of the levels of Th17 and Foxp3+ T cells. IVIG down-regulated Th17 cells in the highest quartile, Q4 ( P = 0.001), and up-regulated CD4+ Foxp3+ T cells in Q1 and Q2 ( P = 0.025 and 0.029, respectively). In addition, Th17/ CD4+ Foxp3+ T cell ratio decreased in Q4 ( P = 0.040). We also found a positive trend between successful pregnancy outcome and CD8+ IL-17+ T cells before IVIG treatment ( P = 0.05). Conclusion Intravenous immunoglobulin G treatment modulated imbalance of Th17 and Foxp3+ Treg cells in pregnant RPL women with cellular immune abnormality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Regulatory T (Treg) cells interact with B, natural killer (NK), and dendritic cells in addition to other T cells. In this study, we aimed at determining whether Foxp3+ T cells and subpopulations have any correlation with other lymphocyte subsets and their functions in a systemic immune environment. Peripheral blood was drawn from 22 nonpregnant healthy women. T, B, and NK cell subpopulations were measured by immunophenotype analysis. Intracellular Foxp3, cytokine expression (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], interferon-γ [IFN-γ], and interleukin-10 [IL]-10), and NK-cell cytotoxicity were analyzed by flow cytometric analysis. Correlations between Foxp3+ T cells and other immune variables were analyzed under control of age and menstrual phases. Foxp3+, Foxp3low, and CD4+Foxp3+ cells significantly correlated with CD4+CD25+, CD4+CD25dim, and CD4+CD25bright cells. Foxp3+, Foxp3low, and CD4+Foxp3+ cells positively correlated with CD3+ and CD3+CD4+ T cells, but negatively correlated with CD3−CD56+ and CD3−CD56dim NK cells. CD4+Foxp3high Treg cells were positively correlated with CD3+CD4+TNF-α+ (p = 0.014) and negatively correlated with CD3+CD8+IL-10+ T cells (p = 0.001). The ratio of type 1/2 cytokine-producing CD3+CD8+ cells demonstrated a positive correlation with CD4+Foxp3high cells (p ≤ 0.01). CD8+Foxp3+ cells were positively correlated with CD3+CD4+IL-10+ cells (p = 0.007) and negatively correlated with CD3+CD8+TNF-α+ cells (p = 0.008). In conclusion, each Foxp3+ Treg cell subpopulation has unique immune interaction, which controls particular subsets of lymphocytes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Following the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Wuhan, China, a total of 637 patients had been diagnosed with the disease in Seoul as of May 2, 2020. Our study aimed to describe the impact of the 3T strategies (preemptive testing, prompt tracing and proper treatment) on the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in Seoul., Methods: The descriptive and explanatory analysis was carried out on critical indicators such as epidemiological characteristics and key duration of patient status change from January 24 to May 2 in Seoul before and after preemptive testing for patients under investigation associated with COVID-19 clusters., Results: Preemptive testing increased the positive test rate (3.9% to 4.2%), an asymptomatic case at diagnosis (16.9% to 30.6%), and reduced the time from symptom onset to quarantine (4.0 to 3.0 days). Prompt tracing decreased unknown sources of infection (6.9% to 2.8%), the mean number of contacts (32.2 to 23.6), and the time-varying reproduction number R(t) (1.3 to 0.6). With proper treatment, only 2 cases of mortality occurred, resulting in a fatality rate of just 0.3%., Conclusion: In the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic lasting 100 days, the effect of the 3T strategies flattened the curve and decreased the time during which infected individuals were contagious, thereby lowering the R(t) below 1 in Seoul., Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2020 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.)