Publications by authors named "John Won"

Background Aims: Human genetic variation is thought to guide the outcome of HCV infection, but model systems within which to dissect these host genetic mechanisms are limited. Norway rat hepacivirus, closely related to HCV, causes chronic liver infection in rats but causes acute self-limiting hepatitis in typical strains of laboratory mice, which resolves in 2 weeks. The Collaborative Cross (CC) is a robust mouse genetics resource comprised of a panel of recombinant inbred strains, which model the complexity of the human genome and provide a system within which to understand diseases driven by complex allelic variation.

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Purpose: To evaluate the microbial air quality during dental clinical procedures in a large clinical setting with increasing patient capacity.

Methods: This was a single-center, observational study design evaluating the microbial air quality and aerosol distribution during normal clinical sessions at 5% (sessions 1 and 2) and at > 50% (session 3) treatment capacity of dental aerosol generating procedures. Sessions 1 and 2 were evaluated on the same day with a 30-minute fallow time between the sessions.

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Palatal mucosal changes secondary to smoking habit have been recognised since at least the 19th century. Smoker's palate, or nicotinic stomatitis is associated with habitual cigar or pipe smoking, regular consumption of thermally hot beverages and more recently has been identified in those who vape. It is considered of negligible malignant transformation risk, typically resolving on habit cessation.

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Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the overall satisfaction of a new learning experience and evaluate the outcome of LLUSD's educational teledentistry initiative through a survey based on Kirkpatrick's multidimensional model of training evaluation.

Materials And Methods: An IRB application was approved (#5210385) for a cross-sectional study that included Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (LLUSD) dental students of the class of 2022 and 2023. The 9-question survey consisted of three sections.

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Aim: The purpose of the study was two-fold. First, to evaluate students' learning style and relate it to their academic performance. Second, to highlight changes implemented in the tooth morphology (TOMO) course as a response to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic remains uncontrolled despite the rapid rollout of safe and effective severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines, underscoring the need to develop highly effective antivirals. In the setting of waning immunity from infection and vaccination, breakthrough infections are becoming increasingly common and treatment options remain limited. In addition, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, with their potential to escape neutralization by therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, emphasizes the need to develop second-generation oral antivirals targeting highly conserved viral proteins that can be rapidly deployed to outpatients.

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Background: Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infectious virus isolation in outpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been associated with viral RNA levels and symptom duration, little is known about the host, disease, and viral determinants of infectious virus detection.

Methods: COVID-19 adult outpatients were enrolled within 7 days of symptom onset. Clinical symptoms were recorded via patient diary.

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The COVID-19 pandemic remains uncontrolled despite the rapid rollout of safe and effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, underscoring the need to develop highly effective antivirals. In the setting of waning immunity from infection and vaccination, breakthrough infections are becoming increasingly common and treatment options remain limited. Additionally, the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern with their potential to escape therapeutic monoclonal antibodies emphasizes the need to develop second-generation oral antivirals targeting highly conserved viral proteins that can be rapidly deployed to outpatients.

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Background: While SARS-CoV-2 infectious virus isolation in outpatients with COVID-19 has been associated with viral RNA levels and symptom duration, little is known about the host, disease and viral determinants of infectious virus detection.

Methods: COVID-19 adult outpatients were enrolled within 7 days of symptom onset. Clinical symptoms were recorded via patient diary.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study assessed the effectiveness of dental evacuation systems in minimizing aerosols during oral procedures in a clinical setting.
  • Utilized a controlled trial with 93 participants, comparing solo high-volume evacuation (HVE) to a combination of HVE and intraoral suction during treatments.
  • Results indicated that using both HVE and intraoral suction significantly reduced microbial aerosols, enhancing safety for dental teams and patients.
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Objectives: The objective of this qualitative study was to gain greater understanding of final-year dental students' views on and experience of their dental curricula in 4 universities from different Asia/Pacific countries, including New Zealand, Australia, and Hong Kong (China).

Methods: A qualitative study approach was used, with semistructured interviews conducted with final-year students from each of the 4 universities.

Results: Interviews were conducted with 60 final-year dental students, and 5 main themes were extracted from the interviews: (1) the definition of an "ideal" dental curriculum, (2) theoretical teaching, (3) transitional tools, (4) assessment, and (5) grading.

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Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is the causative agent of a severe respiratory disease associated with more than 2468 human infections and over 851 deaths in 27 countries since 2012. There are no approved treatments for MERS-CoV infection although a combination of lopinavir, ritonavir and interferon beta (LPV/RTV-IFNb) is currently being evaluated in humans in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Here, we show that remdesivir (RDV) and IFNb have superior antiviral activity to LPV and RTV in vitro.

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The genetically diverse Orthocoronavirinae (CoV) family is prone to cross species transmission and disease emergence in both humans and livestock. Viruses similar to known epidemic strains circulating in wild and domestic animals further increase the probability of emergence in the future. Currently, there are no approved therapeutics for any human CoV presenting a clear unmet medical need.

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The purpose of this study is to use cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT) scans with oblique-transverse reconstruction modality to measure and compare the anterior loop length (AnLL) of the mental nerve between gender and age groups and to compare the difference between the right and left sides. Sixty-one female and 61 male CBCT scans were randomly selected for each age group: 21-40, 41-60, and 61-80 years. Both right- and left-side AnLLs were measured in each subject using i-CATVision software to measure AnLLs on the oblique transverse plane using multiplanar reconstruction.

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The clinical success and longevity of indirect restorations depend on the careful and accurate completion of several procedures. One of the challenging procedures is management of the gingival tissues and gingival esthetics. The goal for management of gingival tissues and gingival esthetics is to maintain the normal appearance of healthy gingival.

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It is hypothesized that use of an angulation sensor could increase the alignment accuracy of multiple implant osteotomies without requiring the use of guided-surgical templates. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if use of such a sensor mounted on a surgical handpiece could improve implant placement.

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Although interferon (IFN) has been often used as immunotherapy for bladder cancer, its efficacy is rather unsatisfactory, demanding further improvement. Combination therapy is one of viable options, and grape seed proanthocyanidin (GSP) could be such an agent to be used with IFN because it has been shown to have anticancer activity. We thus investigated whether combination of IFN and GSP might enhance the overall antiproliferative effect on bladder cancer cells in vitro.

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This clinical report describes a novel method to retrieve the internal connection of a fractured zirconia abutment through modification of a crown and bridge remover. Furthermore, the strengths and limitations of using a zirconia implant abutment will be highlighted.

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► Bevacizumab may increase the risk of mucosal ulceration and subsequent bone necrosis. ► Patients receiving bevacizumab should be closely monitored for dental symptoms.

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Objective: To examine whether the combination of interferon (IFN)-alpha and maitake mushroom D-fraction (PDF), a bioactive mushroom extract, might potentiate the anticancer activity of IFN-alpha in bladder cancer T24 cells in vitro.

Materials And Methods: Effects of recombinant IFN-alpha(2b) (0-50 000 IU/mL), PDF (0-700 microg/mL), or their combinations were assessed on T24 cell growth at 72 h. Cell cycle analysis and assays for double-stranded DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) were performed to explore possible antiproliferative mechanism of these agents.

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