• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.173-185
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• 2019

Objective: To gather inputs from clinical experts on selecting and prioritizing research topics, to address unmet vaccine safety needs. Methods: A questionnaire containing 15 vaccine safety assessment research proposals was sent to 28 vaccine experts chosen from various domestic medical association boards, and the rationale for each of the proposals was provided by presenting the following information: 1) a brief summary of the clinical safety studies on the vaccine, conducted by the Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) project group, supervised by the United States Center for Disease Control (U.S. CDC), and 2) a summary of recently published studies that address vaccine safety issues. The experts were instructed to select and rank 5 topics in the order of preference, and the preference score for each proposed topic was calculated by assigning points on a scale of 1 to 5. Results: All 28 experts responded to the questionnaire, and the following topics were selected according to their calculated preference scores: 1) Human papillomavirus vaccine safety profile in the Korean female adolescents; 2) A signal detection of adverse events following Influenza vaccination: comparison between the US and South Korea; 3) Incidence of anaphylaxis following National Immunization Program vaccines between 2008 and 2017; 4) Safety of quadrivalent influenza vaccines compared to trivalent influenza vaccines; and 5) Pneumococcal vaccine safety profile in the general population. Conclusion: Five research topics addressing vaccine safety were selected, for which well-constructed research protocols need to be promptly developed to address current unmet vaccine safety needs in South Korea.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2017

Till now nanotechnology based anti-parasite pharmaceutical dosage forms development and application is being vastly developed worldwide. The field of nanotechnology involves an array of different areas of expertise with the application of innovative products in Medicine, Engineering, and to a less extent to Veterinary Medicine. In our conclusion, enriched experimental analysis is required, to announce the state of the art outputs to remove negative problems. Animals or human may benefit from nanotechnological products respectively, like vaccines, target recombinant peptides, or novel pharmaceutical alternatives. As a result, it would be desirable to give some energy for thought to drive nanomedical scientific introductions. To create more safe medium to animals and or humans. In this review all aspects of nanoparticles applications in parasitology will be carefully discussed depending on particle charge and size as well as kind of nanoparticles. Perspectives and prospective of nanoparticles in human parasitology will be predicted as well.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1109-1115
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• 2020

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading globally, and the WHO has declared this outbreak a pandemic. Vaccines are an effective way to prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19. Furthermore, the immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection needs to be understood for the development of an efficient and safe vaccine. Here, we review the current understanding of vaccine targets and the status of vaccine development for COVID-19. We also describe host immune responses to highly pathogenic human coronaviruses in terms of innate and adaptive immunities.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.23
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• pp.10053-10056
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• 2015

The human papilloma virus (HPV) is the main aetiological agent for cervical cancer, one of the most frequent cancers observed in women throughout the world. There are effective programs for reducing the incidence of cervical cancer with HPV vaccination. The objective of this study was to discuss the applicability of the HPV vaccination and the role of nurses in prevention of cervical cancer. Use of bivalent and quadrivalent vaccines has been initiated against the types of HPV which are the primary cause of cancer. The quadrivalent HPV vaccination has entered into the routine vaccination schedule in many European countries for use in children and adolescents between 9-15 years of age and for women between 16-26 years of age, whereas it has been proposed that the bivalent vaccination should be given to girls between 9-18 years of age. While cervical cancer is among the cancers that can be prevented, it is essential to continue screening tests while introducing vaccination in a systematic manner for protection. On this subject, among the most important roles of nurses is to implement the screening programs by fulfilling the caregiving, training and consultancy roles for the society and especially, for high risk groups and to increase the awareness of the people.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.252-266
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• 2020

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious pneumonia that has spread throughout the world. It is caused by a novel, single stranded RNA virus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Genetic analysis revealed that, phylogenetically, the SARS-CoV-2 is related to severe acute respiratory syndrome-like viruses seen in bats. Because of this, bats are considered as a possible primary reservoir. The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. As of May 27, 2020, more than 5,406,282 confirmed cases, and 343,562 confirmed deaths have been reported worldwide. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or antiviral drugs available against COVID-19. Newly developed vaccines are in the first stage of clinical trials, and it may take a few months to a few years for their commercialization. At present, remdesivir and chloroquine are the promising drugs for treating COVID-19 patients. In this review, we summarize the diversity, genetic variations, primary reservoirs, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment strategies, and future prospects with respect to controlling the spread of COVID-19.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.897-900
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• 2012

Cervical cancer resulting from prior infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant public health threat against young Japanese women. A national immunization plan to vaccinate 13~16 year old female students against HPV infection has been started in Japan since 2010, and may reach almost full coverage by the end of 2012. Older age females who may already be sexually active are not targeted by this plan but should follow safer sex practices as well as periodic screening of the cervix cytology to reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer. HPV vaccination alone does not offer full protection either, because only some HPV types are covered by the vaccines and the long-term efficacy of the vaccines has not been determined yet. Therefore, we did a survey at an international university in Japan to study the knowledge and attitude of female college students towards prevention of cervical cancer, to examine the age when they start sexual activity and other related attributes that may influence the risk of cervical cancer. We discuss the results of our survey and what they imply for the possible impact of an HPV immunization plan on the risk of cervical cancer in Japan, and conclude by an emphasis on the need to increase awareness among Japanese female adolescents and to enhance the cervical screening rates among older females who are already sexually active.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.171-178
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• 2011

Purpose: This literature review was conducted to provide a summary of the findings from research on knowledge and attitudes about human papilloma virus (HPV) and HPV vaccination, and studies of its actual uptake among women in Asian countries. Methods: The author searched the Pubmed, CINAHL, and KISS electronic databases to identify peer-reviewed articles published between 2006 and 2011. Results: Seventeen peer-reviewed studies met the inclusion criteria (13 quantitative, 4 qualitative). Findings from seven Asian countries that measured female adult's knowledge of HPV related issues and attitudes toward HPV vaccination were reviewed. Low level of knowledge about HPV and its related conditions, willingness to be vaccinated, and low uptake of vaccines were identified across the studies. Cultural barriers and social stigmatization about HPV vaccination were also discussed. Conclusion: Findings from this review indicate that adult women in Asian countries are in urgent need of improving HPV related knowledge and its actual vaccination. Policy makers, health care providers, and public health educators should take into account the cultural barriers and attitudes toward HPV vaccination in the process of developing and implementing educational programs and interventions for adult women in Asian countries.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2022

HHPV (Human Papillomavirus) is a DNA virus that can cause benign lesions, genitourinary cancer, and oropharyngeal cancer by penetrating the mucous membrane and skin. It is widely known to be transmitted mainly through sexual contact. As with many viral infections, vaccines have been developed to prevent infection with HPV. Currently, in many countries, HPV vaccines are mainly used for national immunization for women to prevent diseases that traditionally occur frequently in women, especially cervical cancer. However, since the vaccination rate is relatively low, many countries are struggling with ways to increase the vaccination rate. Meanwhile, the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer caused by HPV in men has been increasing recently. In the United States, the annual number of oropharyngeal cancers in men already exceeds the number of cervical cancers in women, so HPV infection in men has emerged as a major problem. Accordingly, interest in HPV vaccination in men has also increased, and studies on the effectiveness and necessity of vaccination of both women and men compared to women alone are being actively conducted. In this paper, the evidence of HPV vaccination for men will be reviewed through previous studies, and its validity and cost-effectiveness will be analyzed to bolster the clinical usefulness of HPV vaccination for men.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.60 no.6
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• pp.379-391
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• 2022

Leishmaniasis is a serious parasitic disease caused by Leishmania spp. transmitted through sandfly bites. This disease is a major public health concern worldwide. It can occur in 3 different clinical forms: cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral leishmaniasis (CL, MCL, and VL, respectively), caused by different Leishmania spp. Currently, licensed vaccines are unavailable for the treatment of human leishmaniasis. The treatment and prevention of this disease rely mainly on chemotherapeutics, which are highly toxic and have an increasing resistance problem. The development of a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine for all forms of vector-borne disease is urgently needed to block transmission of the parasite between the host and vector. Immunological mechanisms in the pathogenesis of leishmaniasis are complex. IL-12-driven Th1-type immune response plays a crucial role in host protection. The essential purpose of vaccination is to establish a protective immune response. To date, numerous vaccine studies have been conducted using live/attenuated/killed parasites, fractionated parasites, subunits, recombinant or DNA technology, delivery systems, and chimeric peptides. Most of these studies were limited to animals. In addition, standardization has not been achieved in these studies due to the differences in the virulence dynamics of the Leishmania spp. and the feasibility of the adjuvants. More studies are needed to develop a safe and effective vaccine, which is the most promising approach against Leishmania infection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.153-165
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• 2018

Development of an effective vaccine is critically needed for the prevention of malaria. One of the key antigens for malaria vaccines is the apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA-1) of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, the surface protein for erythrocyte invasion of the parasite. The gene encoding AMA-1 has been sequenced from populations of P. falciparum worldwide, but the haplotype diversity of the gene in P. falciparum populations in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), including Thailand, remains to be characterized. In the present study, the AMA-1 gene was PCR amplified and sequenced from the genomic DNA of 65 P. falciparum isolates from 5 endemic areas in Thailand. The nearly full-length 1,848 nucleotide sequence of AMA-1 was subjected to molecular analyses, including nucleotide sequence diversity, haplotype diversity and deduced amino acid sequence diversity and neutrality tests. Phylogenetic analysis and pair-wise population differentiation ($F_{st}$ indices) were performed to infer the population structure. The analyses identified 60 single nucleotide polymorphic loci, predominately located in domain I of AMA-1. A total of 31 unique AMA-1 haplotypes were identified, which included 11 novel ones. The phylogenetic tree of the AMA-1 haplotypes revealed multiple clades of AMA-1, each of which contained parasites of multiple geographical origins, consistent with the $F_{st}$ indices indicating genetic homogeneity or gene flow among geographically distinct populations of P. falciparum in Thailand's borders with Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. In summary, the study revealed novel haplotypes and population structure needed for the further advancement of AMA-1-based malaria vaccines in the GMS.