• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.127-135
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• 2020

Coronavirus is generally known to cause minor respiratory diseases in animals and humans. However, some coronavirus genus is reported to cause animal-to-human interspecies infection. Since the end of 2019, a new type of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection is spreading rapidly throughout the world, leading to the declaration of the pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite various clinical studies to counter COVID-19 infection, the total confirmed cases and death rates are still accumulating. To break down this new threat, we should pay attention to newly revealed information based on scientific facts. In this review, we introduced the clinical characteristics, diagnostic methods, and treatment of patients infected with COVID-19. Moreover, we highlighted the correlation between COVID-19 severity and patients with underlying diseases. Potential risks associated with COVID-19 can be differed depending on the condition of patients and can cause pulmonary complications. Therefore, lung capacity exams are expected to help predict the progression of the disease along with previously established detection methods such as molecular diagnostics and immunoassay. Although physiological research hasn't yet been emphasized to evaluate COVID-19 infection, this review is expected to be valuable to give new inspiration to deal with COVID-19 which might strike again in the future.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.16-27
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• 2022

우리 나라는 2022년 3월에 5-11세 소아의 코로나19 예방접종을 시작하였다. 5-11세 소아에서 중증 코로나19가 발생할 위험은 높지 않기 때문에, 이 연령에 대한 코로나19 예방접종 정책은 각 국가의 상황에 따라 상이하다. 본 논문에서는 해외 주요 국가의 5-11세 소아 코로나19 예방접종 관련 정책을 살펴보고, 5-11세 코로나19 예방접종을 시작하는 우리 나라에서 고려할 사항에 대하여 언급하였다.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• 제48권3호
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• pp.118-122
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• 2023

In this study, we investigate the emergence of bullous pemphigoid (BP) after the administration of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus Disease 2019 (SARSCOVID-19) vaccine. The study presents two cases of women, aged 47 and 53, diagnosed with BP following SARS-COVID-19 vaccination. BP is a common autoimmune blistering disorder prevalent among older populations, with an incidence rate ranging from 2 to 40 cases per million individuals. This condition arises when autoantibodies target adhesive proteins in the skin, resulting in blister formation and mucosal erosion. Drug-induced bullous pemphigoid (DIBP) shares similarities with the classic form of BP but may be influenced by medication usage. Notably, DIBP exhibits distinct characteristics, such as affecting a younger demographic and involving mucosal regions more prominently than classic BP. The growing incidence of BP is linked to factors such as an aging population and the rise of drug-induced cases. This case report provides valuable insights into comprehending DIBP, elucidating post-vaccination discomforts, particularly those related to oral lesions and the exacerbation of existing lesions. By elucidating these aspects, we aim to advance the understanding of DIBP within the medical community.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제53권5호
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• pp.307-310
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• 2020

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has placed unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems, even in advanced economies. While the number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Africa compared to other continents has so far been low, there are concerns about under-reporting, inadequate diagnostic tools, and insufficient treatment facilities. Moreover, proactiveness on the part of African governments has been under scrutiny. For instance, issues have emerged regarding the responsiveness of African countries in closing international borders to limit trans-continental transmission of the virus. Overdependence on imported products and outsourced services could have contributed to African governments' hesitation to shut down international air and seaports. In this era of emerging and re-emerging pathogens, we recommend that African nations should consider self-sufficiency in the health sector as an urgent priority, as this will not be the last outbreak to occur. In addition to the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement fund (US$600 million) provided by the World Bank for strengthening health systems and disease surveillance, each country should further establish an epidemic emergency fund for epidemic preparedness and response. We also recommend that epidemic surveillance units should create a secure database of previous and ongoing pandemics in terms of aetiology, spread, and treatment, as well as financial management records. Strategic collection and analysis of data should also be a central focus of these units to facilitate studies of disease trends and to estimate the scale of requirements in preparation and response to any future pandemic or epidemic.

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

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.33.1-33.13
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• 2023

Vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been acknowledged as an effective mean of preventing infection and hospitalization. However, the emergence of highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has led to substantial increase in infections among children and adolescents. Vaccine-induced immunity and longevity have not been well defined in this population. Therefore, we aimed to analyze humoral and cellular immune responses against ancestral and SARS-CoV-2 variants after two shots of the BNT162b2 vaccine in healthy adolescents. Although vaccination induced a robust increase of spike-specific binding Abs and neutralizing Abs against the ancestral and SARS-CoV-2 variants, the neutralizing activity against the Omicron variant was significantly low. On the contrary, vaccine-induced memory CD4⁺ T cells exhibited substantial responses against both ancestral and Omicron spike proteins. Notably, CD4⁺ T cell responses against both ancestral and Omicron strains were preserved at 3 months after two shots of the BNT162b2 vaccine without waning. Polyfunctionality of vaccine-induced memory T cells was also preserved in response to Omicron spike protein. The present findings characterize the protective immunity of vaccination for adolescents in the era of continuous emergence of variants/subvariants.

• BMB Reports
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• 제53권4호
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• pp.191-205
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• 2020

The unexpected pandemic set off by the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has caused severe panic among people worldwide. COVID-19 has created havoc, and scientists and physicians are urged to test the efficiency and safety of drugs used to treat this disease. In such a pandemic situation, various steps have been taken by the government to control and prevent the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This pandemic situation has forced scientists to rework strategies to combat infectious diseases through drugs, treatment, and control measures. COVID-19 treatment requires both limiting viral multiplication and neutralizing tissue damage induced by an inappropriate immune reaction. Currently, various diagnostic kits to test for COVID-19 are available, and repurposing therapeutics for COVID-19 has shown to be clinically effective. As the global demand for diagnostics and therapeutics continues to rise, it is essential to rapidly develop various algorithms to successfully identify and contain the virus. This review discusses the updates on specimens/samples, recent efficient diagnostics, and therapeutic approaches to control the disease and repurposed drugs mainly focusing on chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine and convalescent plasma (CP). More research is required for further understanding of the influence of diagnostics and therapeutic approaches to develop vaccines and drugs for COVID-19.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제45권12호
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• pp.911-922
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• 2022

A structural protein of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), nucleocapsid (N) protein is phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3 on the serine/arginine (SR) rich motif located in disordered regions. Although phosphorylation by GSK-3β constitutes a critical event for viral replication, the molecular mechanism underlying N phosphorylation is not well understood. In this study, we found the putative alpha-helix L/FxxxL/AxxRL motif known as the GSK-3 interacting domain (GID), found in many endogenous GSK-3β binding proteins, such as Axins, FRATs, WWOX, and GSKIP. Indeed, N interacts with GSK-3β similarly to Axin, and Leu to Glu substitution of the GID abolished the interaction, with loss of N phosphorylation. The N phosphorylation is also required for its structural loading in a virus-like particle (VLP). Compared to other coronaviruses, N of Sarbecovirus lineage including bat RaTG13 harbors a CDK1-primed phosphorylation site and Gly-rich linker for enhanced phosphorylation by GSK-3β. Furthermore, we found that the S202R mutant found in Delta and R203K/G204R mutant found in the Omicron variant allow increased abundance and hyper-phosphorylation of N. Our observations suggest that GID and mutations for increased phosphorylation in N may have contributed to the evolution of variants.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.16.1-16.14
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• 2023

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral infection produced by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus epidemic, which was declared a global pandemic in March 2020. The World Health Organization has recorded around 43.3 billion cases and 59.4 million casualties to date, posing a severe threat to global health. Severe COVID-19 indicates viral pneumonia caused by the SARS-CoV-2 infections, which can induce fatal consequences, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The purpose of this research is to better understand the COVID-19 and ARDS pathways, as well as to find targeted single nucleotide polymorphism. To accomplish this, we retrieved over 100 patients' samples from the Sequence Read Archive, National Center for Biotechnology Information. These sequences were processed through the Galaxy server next generation sequencing pipeline for variant analysis and then visualized in the Integrative Genomics Viewer, and performed statistical analysis using t-tests and Bonferroni correction, where six major genes were identified as DNAH7, CLUAP1, PPA2, PAPSS1, TLR4, and IFITM3. Furthermore, a complete understanding of the genomes of COVID-19-related ARDS will aid in the early identification and treatment of target proteins. Finally, the discovery of novel therapeutics based on discovered proteins can assist to slow the progression of ARDS and lower fatality rates.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.147-152
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• 2024

기저 질환 없이 평소 건강하던4세 남아에서 COVID-19와 연관된 열성 경련이 발생하였다. SARS-CoV-2 양성으로 확인되어 음압격리병동에 입원한 당일 발열과 함께 25분간 전신 간대성 발작이 있었고 산소흡입, 항경련제 투여 후 소실되었다. 말초혈액, 혈액화학, 전해질, 혈액기체분석, 급성기반응물질, 면역혈청, 특수화학 검사 결과들은 참고치 내에 있었으나, 소변검사에서 케톤이 검출되었다. 가슴X선 영상검사에서 활동성 폐병변이 관찰되지 않았고, 뇌파 검사에서 이상 소견 없었다. 뇌 자기공명영상 검사에서 뇌실질 내외의 병변은 없었다. 발작은 재발하지 않았고 입원 12병일째 퇴원하였으며 신경학적 후유증은 없었다.