• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.48-57
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• 2012

Acute viral encephalitis caused by neurotrophic viruses, such as mosquito-borne flaviviruses, is an emerging and re-emerging disease that represents an immense global health problem. Considerable progression has been made in understanding the pathogenesis of acute viral encephalitis, but the immune-pathological processes occurring during the progression of encephalitis and the roles played by various molecules and cellular components of the innate and adaptive systems still remain undefined. Recent findings reveal the significant contribution of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and regulatory $CD4^+$ T cells in the outcomes of infectious diseases caused by neurotrophic viruses. In this review, we discuss the ample evidence focused on the roles of TLRs and $CD4^+$ helper T cell subsets on the progression of acute viral encephalitis. Finally, we draw attention to the importance of these molecules and cellular components in defining the pathogenesis of acute viral encephalitis, thereby providing new therapeutic avenues for this disease.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.77-83
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• 2012

Zoonoses represent a public health risk recently pointed out by the spreading of previously unknown human infectious diseases emerging from animal reservoirs such as severe acute respiratory syndrome and avian influenza caused by H5N1-virus. These outbreaks have shown that animal breeding activities can pose a significant public health risk. Until now, the risk of zoonoses has probably been underestimated, particularly in occupational settings. The emergence or re-emergence of bacterial (Mycobacterium bovis and Brucella spp) or viral (hepatitis E virus) infections shows that zoonoses should be considered as emerging risks in agricultural and animal breeding and should be addressed by specific preventive interventions. Close cooperation and interaction between veterinarians, occupational health physicians and public health operators is necessary, for a worldwide strategy to expand interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment. This is what the One Health Approach was intended to be.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.311-319
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• 2020

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a newly emerging viral disease with fatal outcomes. However, no MERS-CoV-specific treatment is commercially available. Given the absence of previous structure-based drug discovery studies targeting MERS-CoV fusion proteins, this set of compounds is considered the first generation of MERS-CoV small molecule fusion inhibitors. After a virtual screening campaign of 1.56 million compounds followed by cell-cell fusion assay and MERS-CoV plaques inhibition assay, three new compounds were identified. Compound numbers 22, 73, and 74 showed IC₅₀ values of 12.6, 21.8, and 11.12 µM, respectively, and were most effective at the onset of spike-receptor interactions. The compounds exhibited safe profiles against Human embryonic kidney cells 293 at a concentration of 20 µM with no observed toxicity in Vero cells at 10 µM. The experimental results are accompanied with predicted favorable pharmacokinetic descriptors and drug-likeness parameters. In conclusion, this study provides the first generation of MERS-CoV fusion inhibitors with potencies in the low micromolar range.

• Infection and chemotherapy
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• 제50권4호
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• pp.328-339
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• 2018

Background: Pneumococcal disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in patients with comorbidities and advanced age. This study evaluated trends in epidemiology of adult pneumococcal disease in Crete, Greece, by identifying serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance of consecutive Streptococcus pneumoniae strains isolated from adults during an 8-year time period (2009-2016) and the indirect effect of the infant pneumococcal higher-valent conjugate vaccines 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). Materials and Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility was performed by E-test and serotyping by Quellung reaction. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was defined as non-susceptibility to penicillin (PNSP) combined with resistance to ${\geq}2$ non-${\beta}$-lactam antimicrobials. Results: A total of 135 S. pneumoniae strains were isolated from adults during the study period. Twenty-one serotypes were identified with 17F, 15A, 3, 19A, and 11A, being the most common. The coverage rates of PCV10, and PCV13 were 17.8% and 37.8%, respectively. PCV13 serotypes decreased significantly from 68.4% in 2009 to 8.3% in 2016 (P = 0.002). The most important emerging non-PCV13 serotypes were 17F, 15A, and 11A, with 15A being strongly associated with antimicrobial resistance and MDR. Among all study isolates, penicillin-resistant and MDR strains represented 7.4% and 14.1%, respectively. Predominant PNSP serotypes were 19A (21.7%), 11A (17.4%), and 15A (17.4%). Erythromycin, clindamycin, tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and levofloxacin resistant rates were 30.4%, 15.6%, 16.3%, 16.3%, and 1.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Although pneumococcal disease continues to be a health burden in adults in Crete, our study reveals a herd protection effect of the infant pneumococcal higher-valent conjugate vaccination. Surveillance of changes in serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance among pneumococcal isolates are necessary to guide optimal prevention and treatment strategies.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.5-14
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aims to identify the degree of anxiety and depression related to infection control and job stress in clinical nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, it seeks to identify the effects of depression. Finally, it intends to develop intervention measures to prevent depression in clinical nurses during epidemics of new infectious diseases and prepare basic data for developing educational programs. Methods: Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire survey administered to 208 nurses. The data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS (Version 26.0) statistics program. Results: The correlation analysis between participant depression, anxiety, and infection control job stress found that depression had a positive correlation with anxiety (r=.63, p<.001) and infection control work stress (r=.26, p<.001). Anxiety (β=0.60, p<.001) was found to significantly affect participant depression with an explanatory power of 40.2%, confirming that higher anxiety levels induce increased depression. Conclusion: Based on the above results, anxiety is confirmed to be a factor that affects depression. Accordingly, education is required to strengthen individuals' physical and mental capabilities and promote a safe working environment, including providing sufficient personal protective devices and other appropriate gear to defend clinical nurses against outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases at medical institutions and through healthcare policies. Other considerations should include sufficient rest hours and paying additional benefits for nurses caring for patients with severe confirmed COVID-19.

• STI Policy Review
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.117-138
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• 2012

Governments around the world place great hopes in innovation in their search for new sources of growth and for responses to grand challenges, such as climate change, new or re-emerging infectious diseases, accelerating urbanisation, ageing, food security, and availability of clean water. However they must devise their relevant support policies -- including through sponsored research within public research institutes -- taking into account that innovation processes are currently undergoing a major transformation. New innovation patterns include a broadening scope of relevant activities, a growing importance but changing nature of scientific roots of technological development, a stronger demand-pull, the emergence of new local and national STI powerhouses, and the rise of more open and globalised innovation networks. They translate into new opportunities but also constraints for policies to enhance the contribution of public research institutes to national innovation performance. The article derives the main policy implications regarding the desirable evolution of the mission, research focus, as well as the funding and steering of public research institutes, with a special reference to Korea.

• 한국방재학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국방재학회 2008년도 정기총회 및 학술발표대회
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• pp.375-376
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• 2008

Recently the increase of natural disaster and man-made disaster, newly emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorism attack changed the world in many aspects. So the Ministry of Health and Welfare and other related agencies are trying to solve the problems with disasters. We discussed these problems in the following eleven categories. (1) emergency medicine (2) communicable disease control, (3) food safety control, (4) public facilities safety, (5) social welfare facilities safety, (6) bioterrorism control, (7) geriatric health care, (8) insurance support, (9) overseas disaster victim support, (10) national organization protection, (11) fire fighter safety in forest fire. Through the reviews on the various kinds of disaster, we proposed the disaster control measure for the near future.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• 제27권1호
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• pp.1-11
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that affect the posttraumatic growth (PTG) among nurses caring for patients with COVID-19. Methods: The subjects of this study were 194 nurses working at COVID-19 designated hospital who had experience in providing direct care for patients with COVID-19. Data were collected in November 2020 using self-administered questionnaires. Results: Deliberate rumination(β=.51, p<.001), calling (β=.20, p=.001), and religion (β=.11, p=.023) were found to affect the PTG of the subjects. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that it is necessary to develop intervention programs and policies to enhance deliberate rumination and calling in order to promote PTG among nurses providing care for patients with emerging infectious diseases.

• Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.76-101
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• 2022

Despite the increasing use of digital media and their powerful impact on risk management during recent outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, the question of how digital media exposure influences preventive behaviors has not been fully explained. Using the appraisal tendency framework and protection motivation theory as theoretical frameworks, we theorized the affective and cognitive mechanisms under which the differential roles of three negative emotions (fear, anger, worry) on two cognitive appraisals (perceived threat and perceived efficacy) were examined. Based on data collected from a survey of 1,500 South Koreans during the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that while worry and anger increased perceived efficacy, fear reduced perceived efficacy. The results also showed that although exposure to COVID-19 information via digital formats increased preventive behavioral intention in general, digital media use for COVID-19 information had a negative influence on preventive behavioral intention through the sequential mediation of fear and perceived efficacy.

• BMB Reports
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• 제56권6호
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• pp.335-340
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• 2023

During normal physiological and abnormal pathophysiological conditions, all cells release membrane vesicles, termed extracellular vesicles (EVs). Growing evidence has revealed that EVs act as important messengers in intercellular communication. EVs play emerging roles in cellular responses and the modulation of immune responses during virus infection. EVs contribute to triggering antiviral responses to restrict virus infection and replication. Conversely, the role of EVs in the facilitation of virus spread and pathogenesis has been widely documented. Depending on the cell of origin, EVs carry effector functions from one cell to the other by horizontal transfer of their bioactive cargoes, including DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, and metabolites. The diverse constituents of EVs can reflect the altered states of cells or tissues during virus infection, thereby offering a diagnostic readout. The exchanges of cellular and/or viral components by EVs can inform the therapeutic potential of EVs for infectious diseases. This review discusses recent advances of EVs to explore the complex roles of EVs during virus infection and their therapeutic potential, focusing on HIV-1.