• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제74권2호
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• pp.51-55
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• 2013

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia is a severe and rapidly progressive lung disease that can cause fatal respiratory failure. Since this disease exhibits totally different clinical features to other eosinophilic lung diseases (ELD), it is not difficult to distinguish it among other ELDs. However, this can be similar to other diseases causing acute respiratory distress syndrome or severe community-acquired pneumonia, so the diagnosis can be delayed. The cause of this disease in the majority of patients is unknown, even though some cases may be caused by smoke, other patients inhaled dust or drugs. The diagnosis is established by bronchoalveolar lavage. Treatment with corticosteroids shows a rapid and dramatic positive response without recurrence.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.15.1-15.7
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• 2021

The direction of evolution can estimate based on the variation among nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution. The simulative study investigated the nucleotide sequence of closely related strains of respiratory syndrome viruses, codon-by-codon with maximum likelihood analysis, z selection, and the divergence time. The simulated results, dN/dS > 1 signify that an entire substitution model tends towards the hypothesis's positive evolution. The effect of transition/transversion proportion, Z-test of selection, and the evolution associated with these respiratory syndromes, are also analyzed. Z-test of selection for neutral and positive evolution indicates lower to positive values of dN-dS (0.012, 0.019) due to multiple substitutions in a short span. Modified Nei-Gojobori (P) statistical technique results also favor multiple substitutions with the transition/transversion rate from 1 to 7. The divergence time analysis also supports the result of dN/dS and imparts substantiating proof of evolution. Results conclude that a positive evolution model, higher dN-dS, and transition/transversion ratio significantly analyzes the evolution trend of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제78권4호
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• pp.423-427
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• 2015

Fat embolism syndrome (FES) is a clinical manifestation that consists of multiple organ dysfunction due to fat emboli. FES occurs as a complication after trauma or procedures such as surgery. The diagnostic criteria of FES have not yet been established, so clinical criteria are used for its diagnosis. The clinical course of acute fulminant FES can be rapid. Liposuction surgery, in which adipocytes are mechanically disrupted, is one cause of FES. As the number of liposuction surgeries increases, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of FES. This was the first report of a case of acute fulminant FES with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome after liposuction surgery, in Korea.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.331-336
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• 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhibits various symptoms, ranging from asymptomatic to severe pneumonia or death. The major features of patients in severe COVID-19 are the dysregulation of cytokine secretion, pneumonia, and acute lung injury. Consequently, it leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome, disseminated intravascular coagulation, multiple organ failure, and death. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative virus of COVID-19, influences nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat, and pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), the sensor of inflammasomes, directly or indirectly, culminating in the assembly of NLRP3 inflammasome and activation of inflammatory caspases, which induce the inflammatory disruption in severe COVID-19. Accordingly, the target therapeutics for inflammasome has attracted attention as a treatment for COVID-19. Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) inhibits several inflammatory responses, including the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling. This review discusses the role of KRG in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 based on its anti-NLRP3 inflammasome efficacy.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제30권8호
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• pp.1724-1728
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• 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 $Mg^{2+}$.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.186-191
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• 2006

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), a distant member of the Group 2 coronaviruses, has recently been identified as the etiological agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The genome of SARS-CoV contains four structural genes that are homologous to genes found in other coronaviruses, as well as six subgroup-specific open reading frames (ORFs). ORF3 encodes a predicted 154-amino-acid protein that lacks similarity to any known protein, and is designated 3b in this article. We reported previously that SARS-CoV 3b is predominantly localized in the nucleolus, and induces G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis in transfected cells. In this study, we show that SARS-CoV 3b fused with EGFP at its N- or C- terminus co-localized with a mitochondriaspecific marker in some transfected cells. Mutation analysis of SARS-CoV 3b revealed that the domain spanning amino acids 80 to 138 was essential for its mitochondria localization. These results provide new directions for studies of the role of SARS-CoV 3b protein in SARS pathogenesis.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• 제24권2호
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• pp.155-158
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• 2011

Mechanical ventilation is usually the treatment of choice for severe respiratory failure associated with trauma. However, in case of severe hypoxia, mechanical ventilation may not be sufficient for gas exchange in lungs. Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) undergo difficulties in oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is the ideal therapeutic option for those patients with severe traumatic injuries. ECMO allows lungs to reserve their functions and decreases further lung injuries while increasing survival rate at the same time. We report two cases of patients with traumatic ARDS and Multiple Organ Failure including compromised heart function. The preservation of lung function was successful using ECMO therapy.

• Applied Microscopy
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• 제51권
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• pp.13.1-13.7
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• 2021

The novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has arisen as a global pandemic affecting the respiratory system showing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, there is no targeted therapeutic agent yet and due to the growing cases of infections and the rising death tolls, discovery of the possible drug is the need of the hour. In general, the study for discovering therapeutic agent for SARS-CoV-2 is largely focused on large-scale screening with fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD). With the recent advancement in cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM), it has become one of the widely used tools in structural biology. It is effective in investigating the structure of numerous proteins in high-resolution and also had an intense influence on drug discovery, determining the binding reaction and regulation of known drugs as well as leading the design and development of new drug candidates. Here, we review the application of cryo-EM in a structure-based drug design (SBDD) and in silico screening of the recently acquired FBDD in SARS-CoV-2. Such insights will help deliver better understanding in the procurement of the effective remedial solution for this pandemic.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.30.1-30.7
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• 2020

The novel coronavirus pandemic that has originated from China and spread throughout the world in three months. Genome of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) predecessor, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) play an important role in understanding the concept of genetic variation. In this paper, the genomic data accessed from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) through Molecular Evolutionary Genetic Analysis (MEGA) for statistical analysis. Firstly, the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) and Akaike information criterion (AICc) are used to evaluate the best substitution pattern. Secondly, the maximum likelihood method used to estimate of transition/transversions (R) through Kimura-2, Tamura-3, Hasegawa-Kishino-Yano, and Tamura-Nei nucleotide substitutions model. Thirdly and finally nucleotide frequencies computed based on genomic data of NCBI. The results indicate that general times reversible model has the lowest BIC and AICc score 347,394 and 347,287, respectively. The transition/transversions bias for nucleotide substitutions models varies from 0.56 to 0.59 in MEGA output. The average nitrogenous bases frequency of U, C, A, and G are 31.74, 19.48, 28.04, and 20.74, respectively in percentages. Overall the genomic data analysis of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV highlights the close genetic relationship.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제87권1호
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• pp.1-11
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• 2024

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common cause of severe hypoxemia defined by the acute onset of bilateral non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema. The diagnosis is made by defined consensus criteria. Supportive care, including prevention of further injury to the lungs, is the only treatment that conclusively improves outcomes. The inability to find more advanced therapies is due, in part, to the highly sensitive but relatively non-specific current syndromic consensus criteria, combining a heterogenous population of patients under the umbrella of ARDS. With few effective therapies, the morality rate remains 30% to 40%. Many subphenotypes of ARDS have been proposed to cluster patients with shared combinations of observable or measurable traits. Subphenotyping patients is a strategy to overcome heterogeneity to advance clinical research and eventually identify treatable traits. Subphenotypes of ARDS have been proposed based on radiographic patterns, protein biomarkers, transcriptomics, and/or machine-based clustering of clinical and biological variables. Some of these strategies have been reproducible across patient cohorts, but at present all have practical limitations to their implementation. Furthermore, there is no agreement on which strategy is the most appropriate. This review will discuss the current strategies for subphenotyping patients with ARDS, including the strengths and limitations, and the future directions of ARDS subphenotyping.