Publications by authors named "Hye Seong"
Lung injury is a critical health concern associated with severe inflammatory responses and tissue damage that can weaken respiratory function and potentially become life-threatening in severe cases. This study aimed to establish a mouse model of lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) derived from and to evaluate whether ARA301 extract (CME) can prevent lung injury. CME was orally administered to mice for three consecutive days, followed by intranasal LPS administration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: This study compared the current smoking prevalence among adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to that of the general Korean population and analyzed changes in smoking prevalence and cessation rates from 2009 to 2020.
Methods: The study included a total of 10,980 adults with HIV infection who underwent a health screening examination (National Health Insurance Service-National Health Information Database; NHIS-NHID), 1,230 individuals with HIV infection who participated in the Korea HIV/AIDS Cohort (KoCosHIV), and 76,783 participants from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). We estimated the current smoking prevalence and the quit ratio, defined as the ratio of former smokers to ever-smokers.
Introduction: Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination rates in pregnant women remain low owing to safety concerns. When evaluating vaccine safety, comparisons with unvaccinated individuals may lead to healthy vaccinee bias. This study aimed to investigate the association between mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination and pregnancy-related adverse outcomes compared with influenza vaccination.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth screening disparities in people living with HIV; A nationwide organized screening setting.
J Infect Public Health
December 2024
Article Synopsis
- A study was conducted to compare the health-screening rates of people living with HIV (PLWH) to the general population using data from Korea’s National Health Insurance system from 2010-2020.
- While screening uptake increased among PLWH from 2010 to 2019, it dropped in 2020, and overall rates were lower compared to the general population, particularly for gastric and colorectal cancer.
- Factors like older age and longer duration since HIV diagnosis correlated with higher screening rates, but PLWH on medical aid programs had lower screening uptake than those paying higher premiums.
Article Synopsis
- - Influenza poses a considerable healthcare challenge in Korea, prompting the government to start a national vaccination initiative; previous research on vaccine effectiveness (VE) focused only on single seasons.
- - A study from 2011 to 2021 involving over 5,000 older adults showed that the effectiveness of the flu vaccine varied significantly by season, with only 3 out of 9 seasons achieving a >70% match between the vaccine and circulating strains.
- - The analysis found that vaccination lowered flu-related hospitalizations by 13.6%, highlighting that when the vaccine strains matched circulating strains, the VE was notably better, at 28.8%, compared to -12.0% in mismatched seasons.
Article Synopsis
- SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are essential for fighting COVID-19; however, decreasing antibody levels after vaccination create challenges for long-term immunity and herd protection.
- A study involving 44 adults who received different COVID-19 vaccines revealed that specific gut bacteria, like Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Escherichia coli, influence how long vaccine-induced antibodies last and how quickly they decline.
- These results suggest that the gut microbiome might play a crucial role in sustaining vaccine effectiveness, indicating that strategies targeting gut bacteria could help improve vaccine responses.
Background: malaria has been one of the most troublesome diseases in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Given that a majority of malaria cases are concentrated near the demilitarized zone, concerted elimination efforts from both the Republic of Korea (ROK) and DPRK are essential for a malaria-free Korean Peninsula. This study assessed the impact of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and tafenoquine on malaria incidence in DPRK.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis guideline aims to promote the prudent use of antibacterial agents for managing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infections in clinical practice in Korea. The general section encompasses recommendations for the management of common CRE infections and diagnostics, whereas each specific section is structured with key questions that are focused on antibacterial agents and disease-specific approaches. This guideline covers both currently available and upcoming antibacterial agents in Korea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) pneumonia has been a serious problem in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, defined characteristics of respiratory microbiome in CRAB pneumonia are lacking nowadays. This study aimed to analyze respiratory microbiome of CRAB pneumonia compared to non-CRAB pneumonia and reveal the clinical significance of respiratory microbiome data in these patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFErythema nodosum as an unusual skin manifestation of long COVID: A case report.
Int J Infect Dis
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- Erythema nodosum (EN) is a painful skin condition known for its tender nodules and is typically self-limiting, with few cases linked to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination reported.
- A unique case involved a 63-year-old woman whose EN lasted over three months after COVID-19, proving resistant to standard treatments but improving with high-dose steroids and NSAIDs.
- This case highlights the potential for EN as a skin manifestation of Long COVID, suggesting that immune dysregulation from lingering coronavirus effects can lead to persistent symptoms.
Recently, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines based on the prefusion F (pre-F) antigen were approved in the United States. We aimed to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based protocol for the practical and large-scale evaluation of RSV vaccines. Two modified pre-F proteins (DS-Cav1 and SC-TM) were produced by genetic recombination and replication using an adenoviral vector.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The COVID-19 virus is evolving into an endemic disease, prompting updates in vaccine formulations to target the XBB.1.5 strain specifically.
- A multicenter study analyzed the effectiveness of the XBB.1.5 monovalent vaccine, revealing that vaccinated individuals were less likely to contract COVID-19 than unvaccinated individuals.
- The interim results showed a vaccine effectiveness of 56.8%, indicating significant protection against COVID-19 for one to two months post-vaccination.
Article Synopsis
- This study assessed long-term immunity in adults who received the BA.4/5 bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, focusing on both antibody and T-cell responses.
- Participants showed significant increases in anti-binding domain IgG and neutralizing antibodies (NAb) against certain Omicron variants by 9 months post-vaccination.
- The T-cell responses were robust and cross-reactive for both previously infected and SARS-CoV-2-naïve individuals, although there was minimal increase after vaccination.
While an association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and viral infections has been recognized, the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on PD progression remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 infection heightens the risk of PD using human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived dopaminergic (DA) neurons and a human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) transgenic (Tg) mouse model. Our findings reveal that SARS-CoV-2 infection exacerbates PD susceptibility and cellular toxicity in DA neurons pre-treated with human preformed fibrils (hPFFs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The 2023-2024 influenza season in South Korea saw an earlier peak compared to previous years, prompting a study on vaccine effectiveness.
- Researchers enrolled 2,632 individuals with influenza-like symptoms from eight hospitals to assess interim vaccine effectiveness from November 1 to December 31, 2023.
- The study found an overall adjusted vaccine effectiveness of 22.5% for the general population, with specific rates of 22.3% for influenza A and 9.4% for influenza A/H1N1.
Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the association between obesity and cancer risk as well as site-specific cancer risks in adults with HIV using a nationwide health screening database in Korea.
Methods: Of the 16,671 adults with a new diagnosis of HIV from 2004 to 2020, 456 incident cancer cases and 1814 individually matched controls by sex, year of birth, year of HIV diagnosis, and follow-up duration (1 : 4 ratio) were included in this nested case-control study. The association between obesity (BMI ≥25 kg/m 2 ) and cancer risks was estimated and presented as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs).
Article Synopsis
- - In Korea, there is currently no surveillance for vaccines outside the national immunization program (NIP), and adult vaccine safety monitoring is insufficient, prompting the need for a new safety monitoring system for non-NIP vaccines.
- - The study involved monitoring the safety of four non-NIP vaccines (Tdap, PCV13, ZVL, and RZV) by collecting data on adverse events through questionnaires sent to individuals after vaccination at various healthcare institutions.
- - Results showed high response rates for monitoring, with 555 identified adverse events over 10 months, leading to the establishment of a safety system that requires ongoing government support for effectiveness and improvement.
Background: Bivalent booster mRNA vaccines containing the omicron-variant strains have been introduced worldwide in the autumn of 2022. Nevertheless, the omicron subvariants evoked another large coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic wave in late 2022 and early 2023.
Methods: A retrospective, test-negative, case-control study was conducted to estimate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines in 8 university hospitals between January and February 2023.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to compare the occurrence of adverse events of special interest (AESIs) between two types of COVID-19 vaccines: adenoviral vector-based (ChAdOx1) and mRNA-based (BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273).
- - Researchers analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Service database, finding that both vaccine types had low incidences of AESIs, but noted higher rates of certain heart-related issues in those who received mRNA vaccines.
- - Key findings highlighted significant differences in safety profiles between the two vaccine platforms, especially regarding myocarditis and Guillain-Barré syndrome, while overall adverse event risks were low for both.
Article Synopsis
- Antiviral treatments can lessen the severity and death from COVID-19, but their impact on long COVID-19 remains uncertain.
- This study examined if these antiviral drugs could prevent long COVID and reduce related hospitalizations and deaths by analyzing observational studies from 2020 to 2023.
- The findings revealed that early antiviral therapy led to a 27.5% lower occurrence of long COVID symptoms and a 29.7% reduced risk of hospitalization and mortality compared to just supportive treatments, suggesting it's beneficial for at-risk individuals.*
The highdose quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVHD) has shown improved protection against influenza and its complications in older adults. We aimed to evaluate the costeffectiveness of QIVHD compared with QIVSD among Korean adults aged ≥ 65 years in reducing influenzarelated disease burden. We evaluated the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons and their average values using a static decision tree model.
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- Prophylactic immunization is crucial for HIV-infected patients, but there is limited data on their vaccination rates, the impact of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), and vaccination influencing factors.
- A study analyzed VPD incidence/prevalence in this population using a Korean AIDS cohort from 2006-2017, along with factors affecting vaccination rates through a comprehensive survey and multilevel analyses.
- Results show an increase in vaccination rates for HBV and pneumococcal vaccines over the years, while influenza rates were stable; peak HIV viral load and nadir CD4 T-cell counts were key factors influencing vaccination uptake.
Article Synopsis
- Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines targeting Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.4/BA.5 were studied to evaluate their effectiveness in producing neutralizing antibodies (Nabs) after vaccination.
- The study involved 21 participants and found that those previously infected with BA.1/BA.2 or BA.5 had significantly higher levels of Nabs compared to non-infected individuals following the booster shot.
- Both bivalent vaccine formulations demonstrated similar immunogenicity, but even with the booster, the neutralizing activity against newer Omicron strains (BQ.1.1, BN.1, and XBB.1) was still deemed insufficient for adequate protection.