• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.531-543
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• 2018

Historically, Plasmodium vivax malaria has been one of the most highly endemic parasitic diseases in the Korean Peninsula. Until the 1970s, vivax malaria was rarely directly lethal and was controlled through the Korean Government Program administered by the National Malaria Eradication Service in association with the World Health Organization's Global Malaria Eradication Program. Vivax malaria has re-emerged in 1993 near the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea and has since become an endemic infectious disease that now poses a serious public health threat through local transmission in the Republic of Korea. This review presents major lessons learned from past and current malaria research, including epidemiological and biological characteristics of the re-emergent disease, and considers some interesting patterns of diversity. Among other features, this review highlights temporal changes in the genetic makeup of the parasitic population, patient demographic features, and spatial distribution of cases, which all provide insight into the factors contributing to local transmission. The data indicate that vivax malaria in Korea is not expanding exponentially. However, continued surveillance is needed to prevent future resurgence.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.170-178
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• 2019

Objectives: To determine the epidemiological features of patients and animals after bites/scratches from rabies-suspected animals in Zenica-Doboj Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods: Data from all patients (and the causative animals) admitted to the Antirabies Service of the Institute for Health and Food Safety Zenica in the 2009-2017 period were analyzed, including age, sex, anatomical site of the bite/scratch, animal type (stray/owned/wildlife), veterinary observations of the animal, and whether antirabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) was indicated and/or administered. Results: In total, 1716 patients were admitted. Bites/scratches were most frequently recorded during April and May (n=181, 10.5% and n=163, 9.5%, respectively). The persons admitted were mostly from the Zenica municipality (n=1278, 74.5%; incidence: 11.55/1000), which is 66.6% urbanized. Males were more frequently represented (n=1089, 63.6%). The patients were mostly 50-64 and 25-49 years of age (n=425, 24.7% and n=390, 22.7%, respectively). Dog bites were the most common cause (n=1634, 95.1%, of which n=1258, 77.0% were caused by stray dogs). PEP was indicated for 997 (58.1%) patients. Only 340 (19.9%) animals underwent veterinary observations (3.1% of stray and 76.1% of owned animals). The largest number of injuries were presented at lower extremities, 1044 (60.8%) cases. Conclusions: Zenica-Doboj Canton is a rabies-free region. Due to the high rate of stray animals not undergoing veterinary observations, the non-existence of a unique dog registry, and the consequent lack of information about stray animals in terms of number, vaccination, neutering, and euthanasia, there is an urgent need for improving the prevention and control of rabies within the One Health framework.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.21-24
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• 2018

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) can be seen in 2 forms, zoonotic and anthroponotic, in Iran. In this study, epidemiological aspects of CL were studied during an 8-year period (2009-2016) in city of Kashan, central Iran. The demographic and epidemiological data, including age, sex, occupation, number and site of the lesions, treatment regimen, past history of CL, and season of all patients were gathered from the health centers. Descriptive statistics were used to describe features of the study data. Total 2,676 people with CL were identified. The highest annual incidence was estimated to be 182 per 100,000 population in 2009 and the least was in 2016 (47 per 100,000 population). The highest frequency affected age groups were observed in 20-29 year-old patients (20.9%). More than 51% of the patients were under 30 years old. The maximum frequency of the disease, 1,134 (43.3%), was seen in autumn. The most common location of lesions was hands (61.4%). Most of the patients (81.6%) were treated by systemic glucantime regimen. In the city of Kashan, the incidence rate of the CL disease is significantly higher than many other regions of Iran. To reduce the risk of disease, control of reservoir hosts and vectors of disease, and education of individual protection are strongly recommended.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.4015-4023
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• 2013

Cancer of the cervix is the third most common cancer in women worldwide, more than 85% of the cases occurring in developing countries such as China. In China, since a national cancer registry is already set up but with geographically limited data generated, the burden of cervical cancer is believed to be underestimated. High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) prevalence among women attending routine cervical cancer screening programs has been shown to correlate well with cervical cancer incidence rates based on independently obtained HPV prevalence data as well as findings for the worldwide cervical cancer burden. Therefore, reviewing data on HR-HPV prevalence in population-based screening studies and hospital-based case studies will be important in the context of better understanding the cervical cancer burden and for the evaluation of the potential impact of HPV vaccination in the country. With the advent of prophylactic vaccines, significant progress is likely to be made in cervical cancer prevention. This article reviews available data on the HPV epidemiology over a 12-year time period (2001-2012) in mainland China under different epidemiological aspects: by age group of study population, by ethnicity, by geographic area, as well as time period. The authors also review the potential acceptability of HPV vaccination among Chinese women.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2345-2348
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• 2012

Epidemiological studies of cancer incidence in Kazakhstan have revealed an uneven distribution for cervical cancer. Incidence and mortality rates were calculated for different regions of the republic, including the two major cities of Almaty and Astana, in 1999-2008. Defined levels for cartograms for incidence were low (up to 12.8/100,000), medium (12.8 to 15.9) and high (above 15.9) and for mortality were up to 7.1, 7.1 to 10.8 and more than 10.8, respectively. Basically high incidence rates were identified in the eastern, central and northern parts of the country and in Almaty. Such differences in cervical cancer data, and also variation in mortality/ incidence ratios, from a low of 0.4 in Almaty to a high of 0.71 in Zhambyl, point to variation in demographic and medical features which impact on risk and prognistic factors for cervical cancer in the country. Further research is necessary to highlight areas for emphasis in cancer control programs for this important cancer.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.291-297
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• 2021

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the prevalence, distribution, and radiological features (as per the Shear classification) of dentigerous cysts in a Lebanese sample. Materials and Methods: It was an epidemiological, cross-sectional, 5-year retrospective study of 137 dentigerous cysts treated at Lebanese Army Dental Departments. The collected data comprised demographic and radiological information corresponding to patients from July 2015 to July 2020. Syndromic cases were excluded. Demographic data and the radiological features of cases were studied and analyzed. Results: Dentigerous cysts were treated in 109 patients (58.7% males and 41.3% females; mean age: 28.3±16.3 years) out of 6,013 patients(52% males and 48% females), with a prevalence of 1.8%. Dentigerous cysts were more commonly found in patients in their second and third decades of life than in older age groups. Of the 109 patients, 22.9% had multiple dentigerous cysts. Of the 137 cysts, 71.5% were mandibular. The most prevalent anatomical location was the posterior mandible, followed by the posterior maxilla. The most commonly involved tooth was the mandibular third molar. Regarding radiological types, the central type was the most common (60.6%), followed by the lateral type (29.2%), and the circumferential type (10.2%). Conclusion: The results of this study were similar to studies of other populations in terms of distribution and features. Multiple non-syndromic dentigerous cysts were more common than reported in other studies, which warrants further clinical studies to reveal previously undetected factors.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.805-813
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• 1994

Immunohistochemical study on the intestinal tissues obtained from the 21 pigs of the 14 terms in Korea in which the clinical and epidemiological features had indicated the possible outbreaks of porcine epidemic diarrhea(PED) was performed using the indirect immunofluorescence test and/or the immunoperoxidase method in order to detect PED viral antigens in the infected cells of the intestines, and histopathological features were described as well. By immunohistochemical analysis, PED viral antigens were detected in the epithelial cells covering the small intestinal villi and recognized slightly in the cells lining the colonic surface epithelium as well. Occasional fluorescence was also seen in a few intestinal crypt epithelium. On light microscopy, the piglets with PED showed marked villous atrophy and fusion, and severe enterocyte degeneration and desquamation. On the other hand, the older pigs more than 4 week old age was mild villous atrophy and fusion, severe villous epithelial cell proliferation, and moderate mononuclear cell infiltration.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.263-266
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• 2000

An outbreak of vivax malaria has been occurring in northern part of Kyonggi-do and north-western part of Kangwon-do, where are located near the demilitarized Zone, since 1993. For understanding of epidemiological features of malaria, the probability of daily survival of Anopheles sinensis, the vector species of malaria was compared in malarious and non-malarious areas in July-August, 2000. Total 915 females collected at three locations in malarious areas were dissected for ovaries, and 64.6% of the parous rate was found. Total 758 females collected at three locations in non-malarious areas were dissected, and 57.8% of the parous rate was observed. It was estimated from the parous rates that the probability of daily survival of An. sinensis females was 0.864 in malarious areas and 0.850 in non-malarious areas, which was not significantly different.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.157-164
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• 2021

Since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in December 2019, a small number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in neonates have been reported worldwide. Neonates currently account for only a minor proportion of the pediatric population affected by COVID-19. Thus, data on the epidemiological and clinical features of COVID-19 in neonates are limited. Approximately 3% of neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 reportedly tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Current limited data on neonates with COVID-19 suggest that neonatal COVID-19 shows a relatively benign course despite a high requirement for mechanical ventilation. However, neonates with pre-existing medical conditions and preterm infants appear to be at a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. The greatest perinatal concern of the COVID-19 pandemic is the possibility of vertical transmission, especially transplacental transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Although direct evidence of the vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is lacking, its possibility during late pregnancy cannot be ruled out. This review summarizes available case studies on COVID-19 in neonates and introduces what is currently known about neonatal COVID-19 with focus on its vertical transmission.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.2069-2072
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• 2015

Background: Lymphoma is one of the most common malignancies affecting the young Saudi population. This disease has diversified pathologies and clinical stages that necessitate well optimized clinical management. Regular updates of epidemiological behavior of lymphoma from various parts of the world are available but studies from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in this field are not consistent. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the current trends in presentation and distribution of lymphoma with special reference to incidence and mortality, gender, age, histopathological subtypes, and clinical stages at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC). Materials and Methods: Our study included lymphoma data from Saudi Cancer Registry, and relative comparison against KFSH&RC tumor registry data, Gulf country data and International Agency for Research on Cancer data. Results: Common tumors in the West (lung, colon, and prostate) were found to be much less frequent in KSA while leukemia, lymphoma and thyroid cancers were more common. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) ranked 3rd most common cancer with age-adjusted incidence of 6/100,000. Estimated age adjusted mortality was 4/100,000 in KSA. There was a peak rise in incidence of lymphoma in 1997-2007. Most common NHL was diffuse large B cell lymphoma at KFSH&RC. A total of 434 cases were diagnosed in 5 years with 55% of them at advanced stage and 35% demonstrating bulky disease and high risk. KFSH&RC registered 35% of Hodgkins and 21% of total NHL identified in entire Saudi Cancer Registry, 2009. Conclusions: Results of this study are very unique, and reveal diverse trends. The findings provide valuable insights in the understanding of current epidemiological features of lymphoma in this part of the world.