• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.607-610
• /
• 2009

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes two diseases: Varicella, a generalized, primary infection, and herpes zoster (zoster), a secondary infection caused by latent VZV reactivation. Zoster can also be caused by latent VZV reactivation after a varicella vaccination. The complications associated with varicella include cutaneous infections, which are the most common, as well as pulmonary and neurological involvement. However, a deep venous thrombosis (DVT) has been rarely described as a varicella-associated complication. Here, we describe the case of a child with varicella zoster who developed a DVT that completely resolved after intravenous acyclovir and subcutaneous low-molecular-weight heparin treatment.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.215-224
• /
• 1998

Cloning, sequencing and expressing in E. coli of the thymidine kinase (TK) gene of Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) strain F was investigated. The TK gene, located in the BamHI 3.74 kb DNA fragment of the plasmid pHLA-12, was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The 1,131 kb PCR product was cloned into the BamHI and EcoRI sites of pBacPAK9 plasmid and then named pBac-TK recombinant. The TK gene was subcloned into the BamHI and BglII sites of pQE-30, and named pQE-TK recombinant. The nucleotide sequence of the 1,131 kb TK gene was determined, and the GC content was 65.13%. There were deduced 367 amino acid residues with a total molecular weight of 43 kDa. The weight was confirmed by the protein produced by E. coli M15/pQE-TK on the SDS-PAGE and Western blot. The production of the TK protein in the IPTG induced cells was measured over 4 h. At the end of 1, 2 and 3 h the level increased by 146, 204 and 242%, respectively. The amount of the protein at the highest fraction purified with Ni-NTA resin chromatography was $0.68\;{\mu}g$ per ml. The soluble state TK protein was present in the cytoplasm. In these results the F strain was different in base sequence and amino acid sequence from that of the CL101 strain, which caused difference in their strains.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.230-235
• /
• 2002

We experienced a case of herpes zoster in a 9-months aged infant as followings; The patient had no history of chickenpox or varicella vaccination. Also, her mother had no history of varicella infection and no contact history with varicella during pregnancy. The patient had only a history of exposure to chickenpox patient at 7th days after birth, but fortunately chickenpox was not developed. Sequentially, symptoms of cough with fever and tachypnea were developed on admission date(7 days had passed already after development of the initial skin lesion). On physical examination, multiple grouped painless erythematous papulovesicles with small crusts were observed on the right lower back, flank and abdomen along the T11 dermatome. Coarse breathing sound was osculated, and increased linear infiltrations on both parahilar areas were seen on chest radiography. Liver enzymes were slightly elevated. Tzanck test was negative. The initial titers of anti-VZV IgM and IgG on admission were negative, but the following titers of anti-VZV IgM and IgG were positive. The patient received treatment of acyclovir for 7 days, and healed completely without sequelae. We report this case with brief review of related literatures.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.144-147
• /
• 1999

A 72-year-old female patient was presented complaining of unbearable abdominal pain in the upper left quadrant at our hospital. Two weeks earlier she had developed a vesicular eruption on the right C3 dermatome and 1 week earlier she had experienced a vesicular eruption on the left T11 dermatome. Her medical history was unremarkable. She had suffered from severe abdominal pain in the upper left quadrant for 10 days and the mild pain in the right shoulder region for 20 days. The pain in the upper left quadrant had increased and was unresponsive to drugs prescribed by the local clinic. And we performed T11 root block with 0.5% lidocaine 5 ml and dexametasone 5 mg, and thoracic epidural blockade on 1st hospital day under diagnosis of herpes zoster infection. Her VAS were improved from 10 to 2 on 2nd hospital day. We performed thoracic epidural blockade with 0.5% lidocaine 6 ml. Her VAS were changed from 2 to 7 and so then we performed the thoracic epidural blockade with 0.5% lidocaine 5 ml and triamcinolone 40 mg on 3rd hospital day. On 4th hospital day, her VAS were from 7 to 1. After 4 month of our managements she was tolerable without any medications.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.210-218
• /
• 2013

Numerous studies have suggested that Korean red ginseng (KRG) extract has various immune modulatory activities both in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we used a mouse model to examine the effects of orally administered KRG extract on immunity against herpes simplex virus (HSV). Balb/c mice were administered with 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg oral doses of KRG extract for 10 d and then vaginally infected with HSV. We found that KRG extract rendered recipients more resistant against HSV vaginal infection and further systemic infection, including decreased clinical severity, increased survival rate, and accelerated viral clearance. Such results appeared to be mediated by increased vaginal IFN-${\gamma}$ secretion. Moreover, increased mRNA expression of IFN-${\gamma}$, granzyme B, and Fas-ligand was identified in the iliac lymph node and vaginal tracts of KRG extract treated groups (200 and 400 mg/kg). These results suggest that the activities of local natural killer cells were promoted by KRG extract consumption and that KRG may be an attractive immune stimulator for helping hosts overcome HSV infection.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.45 no.7
• /
• pp.479-494
• /
• 2022

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells that have been intensively studied as therapeutic tools for a variety of disorders. To enhance the efficacy of MSCs, therapeutic genes are introduced using retroviral and lentiviral vectors. However, serious adverse events (SAEs) such as tumorigenesis can be induced by insertional mutagenesis. We generated lentiviral vectors encoding the wild-type herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) gene and a gene containing a point mutation that results in an alanine to histidine substitution at residue 168 (TK(A168H)) and transduced expression in MSCs (MSC-TK and MSC-TK(A168H)). Transduction of lentiviral vectors encoding the TK(A168H) mutant did not alter the proliferation capacity, mesodermal differentiation potential, or surface antigenicity of MSCs. The MSC-TK(A168H) cells were genetically stable, as shown by karyotyping. MSC-TK(A168H) responded to ganciclovir (GCV) with an half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value 10-fold less than that of MSC-TK. Because MSC-TK(A168H) cells were found to be non-tumorigenic, a U87-TK(A168H) subcutaneous tumor was used as a SAE-like condition and we evaluated the effect of valganciclovir (vGCV), an oral prodrug for GCV. U87-TK(A168H) tumors were more efficiently ablated by 200 mg/kg vGCV than U87-TK tumors. These results indicate that MSC-TK(A168H) cells appear to be pre-clinically safe for therapeutic use. We propose that genetic modification with HSV-TK(A168H) makes allogeneic MSC-based ex vivo therapy safer by eliminating transplanted cells during SAEs such as uncontrolled cell proliferation.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.110-117
• /
• 2022

Herpes zoster (HZ) has been reported in immunocompetent children who received the varicella vaccine. In vaccinated children, HZ can be caused by vaccine-strain or by wild-type varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Like wild-type VZV, varicella vaccine virus can establish latency and reactivate as HZ. We report two cases of HZ in otherwise healthy 16- and 14-month-old boys who received varicella vaccine at 12 months of age. They presented with a vesicular rash on their upper extremities three to four months after varicella vaccination. In one case, a swab was obtained by abrading skin vesicles and VZV was detected in skin specimens by polymerase chain reaction. The VZV open-reading frame 62 was sequenced and single nucleotide polymorphism analysis confirmed that the virus from skin specimen was vaccine-strain. This is the first HZ case following varicella vaccination confirmed to be caused by vaccine-strain VZV in the immunocompetent children in Korea. Pediatricians should be aware of the potential for varicella vaccine virus reactivation in vaccinated young children.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.16-34
• /
• 2023

Herpes zoster (HZ) results from the reactivation of a varicella-zoster virus infection and is accompanied by moderate-to-severe pain in most patients. The most common treatment is medication; however, there are still limitations. Acupuncture reportedly has meaningful therapeutic effects and is a possible alternative option in HZ. However, no systematic reviews examining the use of acupuncture and electro-acupuncture (EA) alone have been published; in this study, we therefore aimed to systematically review those techniques. We searched for clinical trials of acupuncture and EA treatment for HZ up to October 2022. Trials that used acupuncture were included. Outcomes were visual analog scale (VAS) and effective rate. Secondary outcomes were time to pain relief, time to pain elimination, incrustation, decrustation, lastly incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). In total, 22 randomized controlled trials were included in this research. Compared with conventional medication therapy, acupuncture was associated with a significant improvement in VAS, effective rate, and times to pain relief and elimination. Times to new blister cessation, incrustation, and decrustation (days) were significantly improved. Furthermore, the incidence rate of PHN was lower in acupuncture groups. The results suggest that acupuncture could be a reasonable treatment option for patients with HZ who suffer from pain and accompanying symptoms.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.141-145
• /
• 2009

Background: There is no assessment of internet sites that carry information on chronic pain disease. So we assessed the quality of information about postherpetic neuralgia available on Korean internet sites. Methods: The keywords 'postherpetic neuralgia', 'herpes zoster, neuropathic pain', 'herpes zoster, pain', 'herpes zoster' were searched in Korean on four search engines in Korea between the 1st to the 15th of May, 2009. We evaluated the outcome on two factors; the aspect of the contents which is subdivided into two categories, the content and authorship, and the technical aspect including web design, and efficiency. Results: A total of 26 internet sites were found. Among these sites, 6 (23%) informed by anesthesiologist. The average score of the 26 internet sites was only $37.4{\pm}20.1$ out of a total of 100. A mean score of the contents was $13.3{\pm}8.3$ out of 40 points, the authorship was $10.0{\pm}6.7$ out of 20 points, the design was $9.2{\pm}5.3$ out of 20 points, the efficiency was $6.8{\pm}4.3$ out of 20 points. When comparing the score between anesthesiologist and non-anesthesiologist, the contents was $18.7{\pm}7.4$ vs. $11.7{\pm}7.9$, the authorship was $13.4{\pm}4.7$ vs. $9.0{\pm}6.8$, the design was $12.5{\pm}4.2$ vs. $8.3{\pm}5.2$ and the efficiency was $6.8{\pm}4.5$ vs. $4.3{\pm}4.0$ (P < 0.05). Conclusions: There is a need for more accurate information about postherpetic neuralgia on the Korean internet by anesthesiologists.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.849-859
• /
• 2018

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection has been a public health concern worldwide. It is the leading cause of genital herpes and a contributing factor to cervical cancer and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. No vaccine is available yet for the treatment of HSV-2 infection, and routinely used synthetic nucleoside analogs have led to the emergence of drug resistance. The small molecule $Retro-2^{cycl}$ has been reported to be active against several pathogens by acting on intracellular vesicle transport, which also participates in the HSV-2 lifecycle. Here, we showed that Retro-2.1, which is an optimized, more potent derivative of $Retro-2^{cycl}$, could inhibit HSV-2 infection, with 50% inhibitory concentrations of $5.58{\mu}M$ and $6.35{\mu}M$ in cytopathic effect inhibition and plaque reduction assays, respectively. The cytotoxicity of Retro-2.1 was relatively low, with a 50% cytotoxicity concentration of $116.5{\mu}M$. We also preliminarily identified that Retro-2.1 exerted the antiviral effect against HSV-2 by a dual mechanism of action on virus entry and late stages of infection. Therefore, our study for the first time demonstrated Retro-2.1 as an effective antiviral agent against HSV-2 in vitro with targets distinct from those of nucleoside analogs.