Publications by authors named "Jeong-Ran Kwon"
This study aimed to elucidate the clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with toxoplasmosis in Korea. We collected and analyzed the specific research data of 5,917 patients from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA; 2007-2020) and 533 electronic medical records (EMRs; 2003-2021) of Korean patients. The HIRA data showed that toxoplasmosis is an endemic disease that occurs constantly in Korea, with a large proportion of patients complaining of ocular symptoms.
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- Human Q fever is a zoonotic disease that can cause a range of symptoms, from mild fever to severe complications like endocarditis and can sometimes lead to chronic cases that may be fatal if untreated.
- Following a significant outbreak in the Netherlands, there are concerns about potential transmission through blood transfusions and risks for pregnant women.
- In South Korea, Q fever has been a classified notifiable disease since 2006, with a noticeable increase in cases since 2015, highlighting the need for better recognition and preventive strategies, including a One Health approach.
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- Primaquine, the only drug for hypnozoitocidal treatment in Korea, is activated by the enzyme CYP2D6, and patients with poor CYP2D6 activity face a higher risk of malaria recurrence.
- A study involving 102 patients with vivax malaria revealed that those with reduced CYP2D6 activity were more likely to experience malaria relapses compared to those with normal enzyme function.
- The findings indicate that variations in the CYP2D6 gene may impact the effectiveness of primaquine, leading to increased rates of Plasmodium vivax recurrence among affected patients in Korea.
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- Thalassemia, a blood disorder more common in Southeast Asia, is gaining attention in Korea due to a rise in Southeast Asian immigrants, prompting this study to examine its prevalence.
- The study analyzed 669 individuals under 30, comparing findings between multiethnic and Korean groups, and performed tests for thalassemia-related gene mutations on those with abnormal blood results.
- Results showed a small percentage of thalassemia carriers among multiethnic subjects (1.5% for α-thalassemia and 1.9% for β-thalassemia minor), indicating an increase in thalassemia cases linked to immigration trends.
Frequencies of red blood cell (RBC) blood group antigens differ by ethnicity. Since the number of immigrants is increasing in Korea, RBC antigens should be assessed in children/youths with parents of different ethnicities to ensure safe transfusions. We investigated the frequency of RBC antigens, except for ABO and RhD, in 382 children and youths with parents having Korean and non-Korean ethnicities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Adverse transfusion reactions (ATRs) are clinically relevant to patients with significant morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to review the cases of ATR reported in the recipient-triggered trace back system for a recent nine-year period in Korea.
Methods: Nine-year data obtained from 2006 to 2014 by the trace back system at the Division of Human Blood Safety Surveillance of the Korean Centers for Disease Control (KCDC) were reviewed.
It is often difficult for standard blood banks in Korea to supply adequate amounts of blood for patients with rare phenotype. Moreover, the definition of a blood in need is ambiguous, and much remains to be learned. In this study, we determined the prevalence of various red blood cell (RBC) antigens from a donor viewpoint and estimated the demand for specific antigen-negative blood from a patient viewpoint.
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