• 의료ㆍ복지 건축 : 한국의료복지건축학회 논문집
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• 제22권3호
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• pp.45-56
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• 2016

Purpose: The MERS(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) outbreaks in Korea highlighted dramatically the failings of traditional hospital environment for controlling or preventing infections among both patients and healthcare workers. MERS is transmitted by droplets that can be airborne over a limited area. The point should be emphasized that MERS in South Korea was predominantly a hospital-acquired (not a community-acquired) infection, because approximately 93% of MERS cases were resulted from exposure in hospital settings. This paper tries to suggest the design guidelines of negative pressured isolation ward for the sake of proper control of severe respiratory infectious diseases. Methods: Literature survey on the design guideline and regulations of airborne infection wards in Korea, Europe U.K. and CDC of U.S. have been carries out. 4 special infection wards in Hongkong, Germany, Japan and Korea have been surveyed in order to make the best use of the experiences related to facility design and operations. Results: Operating system influencing the facility design, space organizations of infectious ward including required space and zoning, and circulations of patients, staffs and materials are proposed. Implications: The results of this paper can be the basic data for the design of the airborne infection ward and relevant regulations. Afterwards in-depth study such as the development of space standards for the single bedroom, locker room and so on could be explored.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• 제37권4호
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• pp.286-295
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• 2020

Respiratory infections are very common and highly contagious. Respiratory infectious diseases affect not only the person infected but also the family members and the society. As medical sciences advance, several diseases have been conquered; however, the impact of novel infectious diseases on the society is enormous. As the clinical presentation of respiratory infections is similar regardless of the pathogen, the causative agent is not distinguishable by symptoms alone. Moreover, it is difficult to develop a cure because of the various viral mutations. Various respiratory infectious diseases ranging from influenza, which threaten the health of mankind globally, to the coronavirus disease 2019, which resulted in a pandemic, exist. Contrary to human expectations that development in health care and improvement in hygiene will conquer infectious diseases, humankind's health and social systems are threatened by novel infectious diseases. Owing to the development of transport and trading activity, the rate of spread of new infectious diseases is increasing. As respiratory infections can threaten the members of the global community at any time, investigations on preventing the transmission of these diseases as well as development of effective antivirals and vaccines are of utmost importance and require a worldwide effort.

• Clinical Nutrition Research
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.77-89
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• 2023

This study aimed to find out the effect of vitamins on respiratory-related viral infections, including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), through the literature reviews. From January 2000 to June 2021, the studies (cohort studies, cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, randomized control trials) related to vitamins (vitamin A, D, E, C, B₆, folate, and B₁₂) and COVID-19/severe acute respiratory syndrome/Middle East respiratory syndrome/cold/influenza were selected from the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane libraries and analyzed. The relationship between vitamins and virus-related respiratory diseases was identified. Through the review, 39 studies were selected on vitamin D, one study on vitamin E, 11 studies on vitamin C, and 3 studies on folate. Regarding COVID-19, 18 studies on vitamin D, 4 studies on vitamin C, and 2 studies on folate showed significant effects of the intake of these nutrients in preventing COVID-19. Regarding colds and influenza, 3 studies on vitamin D, 1 study on vitamin E, 3 studies on vitamin C, and 1 study on folate demonstrated that the intake of these nutrients significantly prevents these diseases. Therefore, this review suggested the intake of vitamins D, E, C, and folate is important for preventing respiratory diseases related to viruses, such as COVID-19, colds, and influenza. The relationship between these nutrients and virus-related respiratory diseases should be continuously monitored in the future.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.427-438
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• 2020

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infects the lower respiratory airway of humans, leading to severe acute respiratory failure. Unlike human dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (hDPP4), a receptor for MERS-CoV, mouse DPP4 (mDPP4) failed to support MERS-CoV infection. Consequently, diverse transgenic mouse models expressing hDPP4 have been developed using diverse methods, although some models show no mortality and/or only transient and mild-to-moderate clinical signs following MERS-CoV infection. Additionally, overexpressed hDPP4 is associated with neurological complications and breeding difficulties in some transgenic mice, resulting in impeding further studies. Here, we generated stable hDPP4-transgenic mice that were sufficiently susceptible to MERS-CoV infection. The transgenic mice showed weight loss, decreased pulmonary function, and increased mortality with minimal perturbation of overexpressed hDPP4 after MERS-CoV infection. In addition, we observed histopathological signs indicative of progressive pulmonary fibrosis, including thickened alveolar septa, infiltration of inflammatory monocytes, and macrophage polarization as well as elevated expression of profibrotic molecules and acute inflammatory response in the lung of MERS-CoV-infected hDPP4-transgenic mice. Collectively, we suggest that this hDPP4-transgenic mouse is useful in understanding the pathogenesis of MERS-CoV infection and for antiviral research and vaccine development against the virus.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제20권4호
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• pp.28.1-28.25
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• 2020

The recent emergence of the novel coronavirus (CoV) or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a global threat to human health and economy. As of June 26, 2020, over 9.4 million cases of infection, including 482,730 deaths, had been confirmed across 216 countries. To combat a devastating virus pandemic, numerous studies on vaccine development are urgently being accelerated. In this review article, we take a brief look at the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 in comparison to SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-CoVs and discuss recent approaches to coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccine development.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.813-819
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• 2019

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) induces severe respiratory impairment with a reported mortality rate of ~36% in humans. The absence of clinically available MERS-CoV vaccines and treatments to date has resulted in uncontrolled incidence and propagation of the virus. In vaccine design, fusion with the IgG Fc domain is reported to increase the immunogenicity of various vaccine antigens. However, limited reports have documented the potential negative effects of Fc fusion on vaccine antigens. To determine whether Fc fusion affects the immunogenicity of MERS-CoV antigen, we constructed a Fcassociated MERS-CoV spike protein (eS770-Fc, 110 kDa), whereby human IgG4 Fc domain was fused to MERS-CoV spike protein (eS770) via a Gly/Pro linker using baculovirus as the expression system. For comparative analyses, two eS770 proteins lacking the IgG4 Fc domain were generated using the IdeS protease ($eS770-{\Delta}Fc$) or His tag attachment (eS770-His) and the immunogenicity of the above constructs were examined following intramuscular immunization in mice. Contrary to expectations, non-Fc spike proteins ($eS770-{\Delta}Fc$, eS770-His; 90 kDa) showed higher immunogenicity than the Fc fusion protein (eS770-Fc). Moreover, unlike non-Fc spike proteins, eS770-Fc immunization did not elicit neutralizing antibodies against MERS-CoV. The lower immunogenicity of Fc-fused eS770 was related to alterations in the structural conformation of the spike protein. Taken together, our results indicate that IgG Fc fusion reduces the immunogenicity of eS770 by interfering with the proper folding structure.

• 한국산학기술학회논문지
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.175-184
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• 2017

본 연구는 메르스 대유행 시 코호트 격리된 병원 간호사의 이직의도 영향요인을 확인하여 추후 감염병 유행 시 간호사 인적관리를 위한 기초자료를 제공하고자 시행되었다. 연구대상자는 메르스 대유행 시에 코호트 격리된 3개의 병원에서 메르스 확진환자나 의심환자 간호에 직접 참여하였거나, 메르스 확진 혹은 의심환자를 직접 돌보지는 않았으나 이들 환자가 있는 병동 혹은 병원에 근무한 267명의 간호사이다. 원 자료의 수집은 2015년 10월 1일부터 11월 30일까지 이루어졌으며, 수집된 자료는 SPSS/WIN 21.0을 사용하여 빈도와 백분율, t-test, ANOVA 및 다중 회귀분석을 실시하였다. 본 연구에서 대상자의 이직의도에 영향을 미치는 요인은 근무기간과 평소 스트레스로 나타났으며, 메르스 확진환자를 직접 간호한 간호사들의 경우 높은 메르스 스트레스를 경험하였음에도 불구하고(p<.001) 이직의도에는 통계적으로 유의한 영향을 미치지 않았다. 본 연구결과에서 주목해야 할 부분은 치명적인 감염을 야기할 수 있는 메르스 환자 간호에 직 간접적으로 참여한 간호사가 경험한 메르스 스트레스보다 평소 스트레스가 이직의도에 유의한 영향을 미친다는 점이다. 따라서 간호사의 이직의도를 감소시키고, 성공적인 인력관리를 위해서는 감염성 질환과 관련된 특수한 상황에서의 간호사의 스트레스 관리 뿐 아니라 평소 직무특성을 고려한 스트레스 완화에 더 많은 관심을 가질 필요가 있는 것으로 나타났다.

• 정보관리학회지
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.273-287
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• 2015

본 연구는 국민들에게 불안감을 야기하고 전반적인 사회활동을 위축시키는 메르스와 같은 질병의 유행이 공공도서관의 이용에 어떠한 영향을 주는지 알아보고자 하였다. 이를 위해 국립세종도서관에 위치하고 있는 "공공도서관 빅데이터 수집 및 분석 플랫폼"을 통해 전국 303개 공공도서관에서 수집된 18,711,453건의 대출기록을 분석하였다. 분석 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 메르스가 유행했던 2015년도는 64,645.05권으로 2014년보다 하루 평균 6,300권 가량 대출책수가 감소하였다. 둘째, 2014년의 경우 7월 5일부터 8월 19일까지의 일평균 대출책수가 4월 4일부터 5월 19일까지와 5월 20일부터 7월 4일까지보다 많은 것으로 나타났다. 이는 학생들의 여름방학이 공공도서관의 대출책수 증가에 영향을 주었을 것으로 파악할 수 있다. 셋째, 메르스가 발생했던 2015년의 경우 메르스 유행 후 기간의 일평균 대출책수가 메르스 유행기간인 5월 20일부터 7월 4일까지보다 많은 것으로 나타났으나 메르스 유행 전 기간과는 유의한 차이가 존재하지 않았다. 넷째, 2014년과 2015년의 메르스 유행 전 기간의 일평균 대출책수와 2014년과 2015년의 메르스 유행 기간의 일평균 대출책수에는 유의한 차이가 없었으나, 2014년과 2015년의 메르스 유행 후 기간의 일평균 대출책수에서는 유의한 차이가 있었다. 연구 결과 국민들에게 불안감을 가져다 준 메르스는 질병의 유행 기간 보다는 오히려 유행 후 기간 동안 공공도서관의 일평균 대출책수에 영향을 주었음을 확인할 수 있었다.

• 대한불안의학회지
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.45-52
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• 2019

Objective : The objective of this study is to determine the effects of fear of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) on socio-psychological health during an outbreak of MERS and the post-traumatic stress as a mediator on the relationship between stress and socio-psychological health. Methods : Visual Analog Scale, Impact of Event Scale -Revised, Psychosocial well-being index short form was implemented for 150 medical persons who worked at the hospital in which exposure to MERS cases had been confirmed and 96 ordinary people. A Pearson correlation coefficient and a hierarchical multiple regression was carried out to confirm the effect of fear of MERS and the mediating effect of post-traumatic stress between fear and socio-psychological health. Results : The higher the fear, the lower the socio-psychological health in both healthcare workers and the public (r=0.32, p<0.01) and the higher post-traumatic stress (r=0.32, p<0.01). But, the research results showed that only healthcare workers had a partially mediating effect of post-traumatic stress in the relationship between fear and socio-psychological health (${\beta}=0.45$, t=6.33 p<0.001), (${\beta}$ value : 0.39>0.26). Conclusion : This study demonstrated that the post-traumatic stress can indirectly lead to a negative effect on the socio-psychological health of healthcare workers when under the fear of MERS and shows adverse effects on psycho-social wellbeing. This suggests that clinical intervention and psycho-social approach aiming at reducing post-traumatic stress is important to maintain mental health during crisis development.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

Coronaviruses are known respiratory pathogens. In the past, most human coronaviruses were thought to cause mild symptoms such as cold. However recently, as seen in the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), infectious diseases with severe pulmonary disease and respiratory symptoms are caused by coronaviruses, making research on coronaviruses become important. Considering previous studies, we constructed 'HCoV-IMDB (Human Corona Virus Immune Database)' to systematically provide genetic information on human coronavirus and host immune information, which can be used to analyze the interaction between human coronavirus and host immune proteins. The 'HCoV-IMDB' constructed in the study can be used to search for genetic information on human coronavirus and host immune protein and to download data. A BLAST search specific to the human coronavirus, one of the database functions, can be used to infer genetic information and evolutionary relationship about the query sequence.