• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.12.1-12.17
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• 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in the human population in late 2019, it has spread on an unprecedented scale worldwide leading to the first coronavirus pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 infection results in a wide range of clinical manifestations from asymptomatic to fatal cases. Although intensive research has been undertaken to increase understanding of the complex biology of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the detailed mechanisms underpinning the severe pathogenesis and interactions between the virus and the host immune response are not well understood. Thus, the development of appropriate animal models that recapitulate human clinical manifestations and immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 is crucial. Although many animal models are currently available for the study of SARS-CoV-2 infection, each has distinct advantages and disadvantages, and some models show variable results between and within species. Thus, we aim to discuss the different animal models, including mice, hamsters, ferrets, and non-human primates, employed for SARS-CoV-2 infection studies and outline their individual strengths and limitations for use in studies aimed at increasing understanding of coronavirus pathogenesis. Moreover, a significant advantage of these animal models is that they can be tailored, providing unique options specific to the scientific goals of each researcher.

• BMB Reports
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• 제54권8호
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• pp.425-430
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• 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and may increase the risk of adverse outcomes in lung cancer patients. In this study, we investigated the expression and function of mucin 1 (MUC1) after SARS-CoV-2 infection in the lung epithelial cancer cell line Calu-3. MUC1 is a major constituent of the mucus layer in the respiratory tract and contributes to pathogen defense. SARS-CoV-2 infection induced MUC1 C-terminal subunit (MUC1-C) expression in a STAT3 activation-dependent manner. Inhibition of MUC1-C signaling increased apoptosis-related protein levels and reduced proliferation-related protein levels; however, SARS-CoV-2 replication was not affected. Together, these results suggest that increased MUC1-C expression in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection may trigger the growth of lung cancer cells, and COVID-19 may be a risk factor for lung cancer patients.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제25권12호
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• pp.2007-2010
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• 2015

A new chemical inhibitor against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus helicase, 7-ethyl-8-mercapto-3-methyl-3,7-dihydro-1H-purine-2,6-dione, was identified. We investigated the inhibitory effect of the compound by conducting colorimetry-based ATP hydrolysis assay and fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based double-stranded DNA unwinding assay. The compound suppressed both ATP hydrolysis and double-stranded DNA unwinding activities of helicase with IC₅₀ values of 8.66 ± 0.26 μM and 41.6 ± 2.3 μM, respectively. Moreover, we observed that the compound did not show cytotoxicity up to 80 μM concentration. Our results suggest that the compound might serve as a SARS coronavirus inhibitor.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.236-239
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• 2022

The objective of this article is to describe intraoperative pulmonary embolism during shoulder arthroscopy in a patient with previous severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Further, we describe how the pandemic has influenced the population by increasing the rate of embolisms. Awareness of such cases will help to increase knowledge regarding SARS-Cov-2 and to determine if such patients should receive routine antithrombotic prophylaxis.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.83-91
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• 2006

The sudden appearance and potential lethality of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in humans has resulted in a focusing of new attention on the determination of both its origins and evolution. The relationship existing between SARS-CoV and other groups of coronaviruses was determined via analyses of phylogenetic trees and comparative genomic analyses of the coronavirus genes: polymerase (Orflab), spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M) and nucleocapsid (N). Although the coronaviruses are traditionally classed into 3 groups, with SARS-CoV forming a $4^{th}$ group, the phylogenetic position and origins of SARS-CoV remain a matter of some controversy. Thus, we conducted extensive phylogeneitc analyses of the genes common to all coronavirus groups, using the Neighbor-joining, Maximum-likelihood, and Bayesian methods. Our data evidenced largely identical topology for all of the obtained phylogenetic trees, thus supporting the hypothesis that the relationship existing between SARS-CoV and group 2 coronavirus is a monophyletic one. Additional comparative genomic studies, including sequence similarity and protein secondary structure analyses, suggested that SARS-Co V may bear a closer relationship with group 2 than with the other coronavirus groups. Although our data strongly suggest that group 2 coronaviruses are most closely related with SARS-CoV, further and more detailed analyses may provide us with an increased amount of information regarding the origins and evolution of the coronaviruses, most notably SARS-CoV.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제24권10호
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• pp.1445-1454
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• 2014

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a disease that spread widely in the world during late 2002 to 2004, severely threatened public health. Although there have been no reported infections since 2004, the extremely pathogenic SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV), as the causative agent of SARS, has recently been identified in animals, showing the potential for the re-emergence of this disease. Previous studies showed that 27 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutations among the spike (S) gene of this virus are correlated closely with the SARS pathogenicity and epidemicity. We have developed a SNP DNA microarray in order to detect and genotype these SNPs, and to obtain related information on the pathogenicity and epidemicity of a given strain. The microarray was hybridized with PCR products amplified from cDNAs obtained from different SARS-CoV strains. We were able to detect 24 SNPs and determine the type of a given strain. The hybridization profile showed that 19 samples were detected and genotyped correctly by using our microarray, with 100% accuracy. Our microarray provides a novel method for the detection and epidemiological surveillance of SARS-CoV.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제64권12호
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• pp.652-660
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• 2021

Background: Viral load and shedding duration are highly associated with the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. However, limited studies have reported on viral load or shedding in children and adolescents infected with sudden acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the natural course of viral load in asymptomatic or mild pediatric cases. Methods: Thirty-one children (<18 years) with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were hospitalized and enrolled in this study. Viral loads were evaluated in nasopharyngeal swab samples using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (E, RdRp, N genes). cycle threshold (Ct) values were measured when patients met the clinical criteria to be released from quarantine. Results: The mean age of the patients was 9.8 years, 18 (58%) had mild disease, and 13 (42%) were asymptomatic. Most children were infected by adult family members, most commonly by their mothers. The most common symptoms were fever and sputum (26%), followed by cough and runny nose. Nine patients (29%) had a high or intermediate viral load (Ct value≤30) when they had no clinical symptoms. Viral load showed no difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Viral rebounds were found in 15 cases (48%), which contributed to prolonged viral detection. The mean duration of viral detection was 25.6 days. Viral loads were significantly lower in patients with viral rebounds than in those with no rebound (E, P=0.003; RdRp, P=0.01; N, P=0.02). Conclusion: Our study showed that many pediatric patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) experienced viral rebound and showed viral detection for more than 3 weeks. Further studies are needed to investigate the relationship between viral rebound and infectiousness in COVID-19.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제44권6호
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• pp.401-407
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• 2021

Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is an ongoing pandemic disease. SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-cell responses have been detected and characterized not only in COVID-19 patients and convalescents, but also unexposed individuals. Here, we review the phenotypes and functions of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells in COVID-19 patients and the relationships between SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses and COVID-19 severity. In addition, we describe the phenotypes and functions of SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T cells after recovery from COVID-19 and discuss the presence of SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells in unexposed individuals and SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell responses elicited by COVID-19 vaccines. A better understanding of T-cell responses is important for effective control of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.52.1-52.7
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• 2022

This paper reports a presumptive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in a cat. A cat with respiratory disease living with three individuals with coronavirus disease 2019 showed bilateral ground-glass opacities in the lung on X-ray and computed tomography. The clinical swabs were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, but the serum was positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Interstitial pneumonia and prominent type 2 pneumocyte hyperplasia were noted on histopathology. Respiratory tissues were negative for SARS-CoV-2 RNA or antigen, but the cat was positive for feline parvovirus DNA. In conclusion, the respiratory disease and associated pathology in this cat could have been due to exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.180-187
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• 2023

2023년 9월까지 19세이하소아청소년인구의 90% 이상에서코로나바이러스감염증-19 (coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19) 감염력이 있으며, 그중 40-60%에서 두통, 경련발작, 뇌염 등의 신경학적 증상이 보고되고 있다. 본 증례에서 저자들은 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 감염 후 경련과 의식 변화로 내원, COVID-19 뇌염으로 진단하여 정맥내 면역글로불린, 고용량 스테로이드, 항바이러스제, 항경련제 투여 등의 적극적인 치료로 회복된 3세 여자 환자를 보고하고자 한다. 환자는 입원 39일차 말하기와 혼자 걷기가 가능한 상태로 퇴원하였고 발병 1년이 지난 시점, 경한 언어 지연을 보이나 전반적으로 좋은 예후를 보이고 있다. COVID-19 뇌염 환자에서 조기 발견과 적극적인 치료가 긍정적인 예후와 연관됨을 본 증례를 통하여 보고하는 바이다.