Publications by authors named "Ji-Yeun Kim"

Background: Immunocompromised patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection often have prolonged viral shedding, and some are clinically suspected of reinfection with different SARS-CoV-2 variants. However, data on this issue are limited. This study investigated the SARS-CoV-2 variants in serially collected respiratory samples from immunocompromised patients with prolonged viral shedding for over 12 weeks or relapsed viral shedding after at least 2 weeks of viral clearance.

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Background: Although recommended isolation periods for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been shortened as the pandemic has subsided, prolonged Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) shedding remains common in immunocompromised patients. This study estimated the probability of viral clearance in these patients based on elapsed days and specific risk factors.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled immunocompromised patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis from January 2022 to May 2023 during the Omicron variant era.

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In 10-minute speaking, N95 respirators significantly decreased SARS-CoV-2 emissions compared with no-mask wearing. However, SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the air even when wearing N95 and surgical masks in patients with high viral loads. Therefore, universal masking of infected and uninfected persons is important for preventing COVID-19 transmission via the air.

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Article Synopsis
  • This text serves as a correction to a previously published article found on page e237 in volume 39.
  • The specific PMID for the original article is 39252682.
  • The correction addresses specific errors or clarifications related to the content of that article.
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Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne disease caused by (SFTS virus [SFTSV]). Recently, at least 6 different genotypes of SFTSV have been identified, with genotypes A, D, and F dominant in China and B dominant in Japan and Korea. This study investigated the effect of SFTSV genotypes circulating in South Korea on disease severity, viral load, and cytokine profile.

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Background: The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (PASC) are not well understood. Our study aimed to investigate various aspects of theses mechanisms, including viral persistence, immunological responses, and laboratory parameters in patients with and without PASC.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled adults aged ≥ 18 years diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) between August 2022 and July 2023.

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  • The study focused on investigating the occurrence of aspergillosis coinfection in patients diagnosed with mucormycosis, as information on this topic is limited, especially regarding antifungal treatment optimization.
  • Researchers reviewed medical records of 67 adult patients who had been diagnosed with mucormycosis from 2007 to 2023, using a combination of fungal cultures and PCR assays to identify the presence of Aspergillus species.
  • The findings revealed that about 31% of the patients had evidence of aspergillosis coinfection, with higher positive rates of specific diagnostic markers in this group compared to those with only mucormycosis, indicating a need for more detailed future research on co-infections for improved treatment
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Immunocompromised patients with coronavirus disease 2019 were prospectively enrolled from March to November 2022 to understand the association between antibody responses and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 shedding. A total of 62 patients were analyzed, and the results indicated a faster decline in genomic and subgenomic viral RNA in patients with higher neutralizing and S1-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies (both P < .001).

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There are limited data supporting current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for the isolation period in moderate to severely immunocompromised patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Adult COVID-19 patients who underwent solid organ transplantation (SOT) or received active chemotherapy against hematologic malignancy were enrolled and weekly respiratory samples were collected. Samples with positive genomic real-time polymerase chain reaction results underwent virus culture and rapid antigen testing (RAT).

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In East Asia, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) and scrub typhus, which are common endemic tick- and mite-mediated diseases sharing common clinical manifestations, are becoming public health concerns. However, there are limited data on the comparative immunopathogenesis between the two diseases. We compared the cytokine profiles of SFTS and scrub typhus to further elucidate immune responses that occur during the disease courses.

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  • Solid organ transplant recipients, particularly kidney transplant (KT) recipients, show weaker antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines compared to liver transplant (LT) recipients.
  • After receiving three vaccine doses, KT recipients had significantly lower antibody levels and a lower percentage of seropositive responses than LT recipients.
  • The use of mycophenolic acid in KT recipients is associated with reduced antibody response, indicating it could be a significant factor affecting vaccine efficacy in this group.
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Previous studies have shown that fully vaccinated patients with SARS-CoV-2 Delta variants has shorter viable viral shedding period compared to unvaccinated or partially vaccinated patients. However, data about effects of vaccination against the viable viral shedding period in patients with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants were limited. We compared the viable viral shedding period of SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant regard to vaccination status.

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Background: There are limited data on the rates of the waning of antibody levels after two-dose and booster vaccination according to the different platforms of COVID-19 vaccines.

Methods: We enrolled healthcare workers (HCWs) in a tertiary care hospital who received homologous two-dose vaccination, followed by a homologous or heterologous booster mRNA vaccine. SARS-CoV-2 S1-specific IgG was measured using ELISA.

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Rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)- 2 during early infection is pivotal in controlling the spread and pathological progression of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Thus, highly accurate, affordable, and scalable point-of-care (POC) diagnostic technologies are necessary. Herein, we developed a rapid and efficient self-directed molecular diagnostic (SdMDx) system for SARS-CoV-2.

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  • Organising pneumonia (OP) is common in patients with blood cancers who are suspected of having invasive mould infections, but the link between them is not fully understood.
  • A study in South Korea examined lung biopsy samples from OP patients to find evidence of invasive mould using PCR tests designed to detect specific fungal DNA.
  • The results revealed that 40% of the OP cases tested positive for fungal DNA, suggesting that many patients had underlying fungal infections even in the absence of visible fungal structures.
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There are limited data comparing the transmission rates and kinetics of viable virus shedding of the Omicron variant to those of the Delta variant. We compared these rates in hospitalized patients infected with Delta and Omicron variants. We prospectively enrolled adult patients with COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary care hospital in South Korea between September 2021 and May 2022.

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Background: Isolation of COVID-19 patients is a crucial infection control measure to prevent further SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but determining an appropriate timing to end the COVID-19 isolation is a challenging. We evaluated the performance of the self-test rapid antigen test (RAT) as a potential proxy to terminate the isolation of COVID-19 patients.

Materials And Methods: Symptomatic COVID-19 patients were enrolled who were admitted to a regional community treatment center (CTC) in Seoul (South Korea).

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Article Synopsis
  • - The CDC recommends 5-10 days of isolation for COVID-19 patients, but a more personalized approach is needed, leading to the creation of a clinical scoring system to predict viral shedding.
  • - Researchers studied 612 samples from 121 patients, finding that 25% had positive viral culture results, and identified key predictors like symptom onset, viral load, disease severity, organ transplant status, and vaccination for negative viral culture.
  • - The developed scoring model evaluates factors that predict culture-negative states, facilitating tailored de-isolation strategies instead of relying solely on standard isolation guidelines.
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Background/aims: The rapidity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific memory B or T cell response in vaccinated individuals is important for our understanding of immunopathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We therefore compared the timing of adequate immune responses between the first and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines in infection-naïve healthcare workers.

Methods: We enrolled healthcare workers who received two doses of either the BNT162b2 vaccine or the ChAdOx1 vaccine, all of whom received the BNT162b2 vaccine as the booster (the third) dose.

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