• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제33권12호
• /
• pp.1587-1594
• /
• 2023

Since its first report in 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has posed a grave threat to public health. Virus-specific countermeasures, such as vaccines and therapeutics, have been developed and have contributed to the control of the viral pandemic, which has become endemic. Nonetheless, new variants continue to emerge and could cause a new pandemic. Consequently, it is important to comprehensively understand viral evolution and the roles of mutations in viral infectivity and transmission. SARS-CoV-2 beta variant encode mutations (D614G, N501Y, E484K, and K417N) in the spike which are frequently found in other variants as well. While their individual role in viral infectivity has been elucidated against various therapeutic antibodies, it still remains unclear whether those mutations may act additively or synergistically when combined. Here, we report that N501Y mutation shows differential effect on two therapeutic antibodies tested. Interestingly, the relative importance of E484K and K417N mutations in antibody evasion varies depending on the antibody type. Collectively, these findings suggest that continuous efforts to develop effective antibody therapeutics and combinatorial treatment with multiple antibodies are more rational and effective forms of treatment.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• 제44권5호
• /
• pp.577-580
• /
• 2006

GST pull-down assays were used to characterize the SARS-CoV membrane (M) and nucleocapsid (N) interaction, and it was found that the amino acids 211-254 of N protein were essential for this interaction. When tetrad glutamines (Q) were replaced with glutamic acids (E) at positions of 240-243 of the N protein, the interaction was disrupted.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• 제30권7호
• /
• pp.962-966
• /
• 2020

Monitoring the mutation dynamics of human severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is critical in understanding its infectivity, virulence and pathogenicity for development of a vaccine. In an "age of mobility," the pandemic highlights the importance and vulnerability of regionalization and labor market interdependence in Southeast Asia. We intend to characterize the genetic variability of viral populations within the region to provide preliminary information for regional surveillance in the future. By analyzing 142 complete genomes from South East Asian (SEA) countries, we identified three central variants distinguished by nucleotide and amino acid changes.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• 제11권3호
• /
• pp.372-377
• /
• 2020

Infection risks of handling specimens associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by public health laboratory services teams were assessed to scrutinize the potential hazards arising from the work procedures. Through risk assessments of all work sequences, laboratory equipment, and workplace environments, no aerosol-generating procedures could be identified except the procedures (mixing and transfer steps) inside biological safety cabinets. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as surgical masks, protective gowns, face shields/safety goggles, and disposable gloves, together with pertinent safety training, was provided for laboratory work. Proper disinfection and good hand hygiene practices could minimize the probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection at work. All residual risk levels of the potential hazards identified were within the acceptable level. Contamination by gloved hands was considered as a major exposure route for SARS-CoV-2 when compared with eye protection equipment. Competence in proper donning and doffing of PPE accompanied by hand washing techniques was of utmost importance for infection control.

• 대한전자공학회논문지TC
• /
• 제37권11호
• /
• pp.32-41
• /
• 2000

두부 형상이 국내 표준에 근접하는 한 자원자 두부의 MR 및 CT 영상에 바탕하여 새로운 해부학적 두부 모델을 구현하였다. 서로 다른 형상을 갖는 두부의 전자파 비흡수율(SAR)을 비교하기 위해 두 가지의 해부학적 두부 모델의 SAR을 계산하였다. 하나는 구현된 모델이고 다른 하나는 미국 National Library Medicine에서 제작된 흑인 모델이다. 계산 공간 내의 두부와 이동통신단말기는 CENELEC과 FCC 지침의 접촉위치가 되도록 배치하였다. 얻어진 결과로부터 두부의 크기가 작을수록 두부 전체 평균 SAR은 높아짐을 볼 수 있었으나 1g 또는 10g 평균의 국부 SAR은 두부의 크기보다는 외이의 형상에 더 의존하는 것으로 보인다.

• 생태와환경
• /
• 제33권2호통권90호
• /
• pp.152-161
• /
• 2000

1981년 5월부터 1999년 6월까지 남한의 97개 지소의 다양한 담수역에서 채집된 표본들에 근거하여 요술시모물벼룩(Simocephalus mixtus Sars)을 재기재하였으며, 한국에서의 시모물벼룩속 종들의 과거 기록들을 검토하였다. 이 종은 최근까지 극동아시아 지역에서 긴눈시모물벼룩(S. vetulus (O.F. Muller)) 및 S. vetuloides Sars와 분류학적으로 혼동되었거나 오동정되었던 종이다. 본 종은 갑각의 후배각이 낮고 넓게 돌출하였고, 갑각의 등쪽 가장자리의 뒷부분이 팽창하였으며, 머리의 부리에 가까운 배쪽 가장자리 부위가 깊게 함몰되어 있고, 길쭉한 모양의 단안을 가지며, 후복부 발톱의 기부에 빗모양의 가시군이 없다는 점에서 근연종들과 구별된다.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• 제30권8호
• /
• pp.1724-1728
• /
• 2009

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) helicase separates the double-stranded nucleic acids using the energy from ATP hydrolysis. We have measured ATPase activity of SARS-CoV helicase in the presence of various types of nucleic acids. Steady state ATPase analysis showed that poly(U) has two-times higher turnover number than poly(C) with lower Michaelis constant. When M13 single-stranded DNA is used as substrate, the Michaelis constant was about twenty-times lower than poly(U), whereas turnover numbers were similar. However, stimulation of ATPase activity was not observed in the presence of double-stranded DNA. pH dependent profiles of ATP hydrolysis with the helicase showed that the optimal ATPase activities were in a range of pH 6.2 ~ 6.6. In addition, ATP hydrolysis activity assays performed in the presence of various divalent cations exhibited that $Mg^{2+}$ stimulated the ATPase activity with the highest rate and $Mn^{2+}$ with about 40% rate as compared to the $Mg^{2+}$.

• 한국실내디자인학회논문집
• /
• 제18권3호
• /
• pp.102-113
• /
• 2009

The SARS virus began to appear and spread in North America and Southeast Asia in the early 2000' s, infecting and harming many people. In the process of examining the causes for the virus, studies on the airborne SARS virus and the way it spread were carried out mainly in the medical field. In the field of architecture, studies were done on the diffusion of air pollutants in buildings using gases such as $CO_2$, $N_2O$, or $SF_6$, but research on virus diffusion was limited. There were also explanations of only the diffusion process without accurate information and discussion on virus characteristics. The aim of this study is to analyze the physical characteristics of airborne virus, consider the possibility of using coupled analysis model and tracer gas for analyzing virus diffusion in building space and, based on reports of how the infection spread in a hospital where SARS patients were discovered, analyze infection risk using tracer gas density and also diffusion patterns according to the location, shape, and volume of supply diffusers and exhaust grilles. This paper can provide standards and logical principles for evaluating various alternatives for making decisions on vertical or horizontal ward placement, air supply and exhaust installation and air volumes in medium or high story medical facilities.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
• /
• 제48권3호
• /
• pp.189-193
• /
• 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus found in China in 2019. The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has been found to be closely related to the cells that secrete angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). ACE2 is involved in the renin-angiotensin system and is widely secreted in several tissues, including the testis, which has raised concerns because organs with high expression of the ACE2 receptor are susceptible to infection. Analyses have shown that in testicular cells, such as spermatogonia, seminiferous duct cells, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells, there is a high expression level of ACE2. Therefore, SARS-CoV-2 may damage male reproductive tissues and cause infertility. Since male infertility is an important problem, scientists are evaluating whether COVID-19 may influence male infertility through the ACE2 receptor.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• 제29권6호
• /
• pp.571-581
• /
• 2021

Towards the end of 2019, an atypical acute respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified in Wuhan, China and subsequently named Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The rapid dissemination of COVID-19 has provoked a global crisis in public health. COVID-19 has been reported to cause sepsis, severe infections in the respiratory tract, multiple organ failure, and pulmonary fibrosis, all of which might induce mortality. Although several vaccines for COVID-19 are currently being administered worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet effectively under control. Therefore, novel therapeutic agents to eradicate the cause of the disease and/or manage the clinical symptoms of COVID-19 should be developed to effectively regulate the current pandemic. In this review, we discuss the possibility of managing the clinical symptoms of COVID-19 using natural products derived from medicinal plants used for controlling pulmonary inflammatory diseases in folk medicine. Diverse natural products have been reported to exert potential antiviral effects in vitro by affecting viral replication, entry into host cells, assembly in host cells, and release. However, the in vivo antiviral effects and clinical antiviral efficacies of these natural products against SARS-CoV-2 have not been successfully proven to date. Thus, these properties need to be elucidated through further investigations, including randomized clinical trials, in order to develop optimal and ideal therapeutic candidates for COVID-19.