Publications by authors named "Junghyun Byun"

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is an emerging pathogen leading to public health concerns in developing and developed countries, particularly among immunocompromised individuals and patients with structural lung diseases. Current clinical guidelines recommend combination antibiotic therapy for treating MAC pulmonary disease (MAC-PD). However, the rising prevalence of antibiotic resistance poses significant challenges, including treatment failure and clinical recurrence.

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  • ESBL-producing E. coli is a serious concern for extraintestinal infections due to its high antibiotic resistance, with a study done on isolates from urine and blood samples at three South Korean hospitals.
  • The research found that CTX-M and TEM are the most common ESBL types present in a majority of isolates, and identified multiple high-risk E. coli clones linked to severe infections.
  • The results also showed a significant presence of virulence factors in these strains, underlining the challenges they pose, especially for vulnerable populations, and emphasizing the need for improved infection control measures.
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  • * Researchers analyzed bacterial samples from patients over 17 years using genetic methods to determine the strains' diversity and virulence.
  • * The findings revealed that the strains from refractory cases were mostly of sequence type 235 (ST235), which is highly virulent and resistant to antibiotics, suggesting the need for better management and patient education.
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In the drum mixing of particulate polymers, segregation may occur. By measuring the mixing status in real time, it is possible to implement corrective measures to prevent separation and improve the efficiency of the process. This study aims to develop and validate a real-time vision system designed to monitor the mixing process of polymeric particles in a rotary drum mixer, employing a novel centroid-based model for determining the mixing index.

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Background: Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), including Mycobacterium intracellulare is a member of slow-growing mycobacteria and contributes to a substantial proportion of nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease in humans affecting immunocompromised and elderly populations. Adaptation of pathogens in hostile environments is crucial in establishing infection and persistence within the host. However, the sophisticated cellular and molecular mechanisms of stress response in M.

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Endonucleases have recently widely used in molecular diagnostics. Here, we report a strategy to exploit the properties of Argonaute (Ago) proteins for molecular diagnostics by introducing an artificial nucleic acid circuit with Ago protein (ANCA) method. The ANCA is designed to perform a continuous autocatalytic reaction through cross-catalytic cleavage of the Ago protein, enabling one-step, amplification-free, and isothermal DNA detection.

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An obligate anaerobic, Gram-negative, rod-shaped and non-spore-forming bacterium, designated as strain GYB001, was isolated from the blood of a patient with a sigmoid colon perforation. Taxonomic characterization of the novel isolate was performed using a polyphasic approach. A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene and whole genome sequences revealed that GYB001 represented a member of the genus , in the family .

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  • * Out of 30 patients, all had at least one genetic mutation, particularly in genes like TET2, FLT3, and RUNX1, which were linked to various clinical factors such as age and blood cell counts.
  • * The research found that certain mutations were associated with treatment outcomes, indicating that a larger NGS study could help clarify their prognostic value in AML.
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Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare, but almost always fatal, central nervous system infection caused by , which are thermophilic free-living amoeba. Here, we report the first case of PAM detected in South Korea, probably imported from Thailand. Despite antimicrobial treatment for infection with a combination of intravenous liposomal amphotericin B, fluconazole, azithromycin, and oral rifampin, the patient died 13 days after the onset of symptoms.

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  • Researchers discovered two new forms (sinking and floating) of Candida parapsilosis in bloodstream infections from Korean hospitals, with distinct microbiological and clinical traits.
  • The sinking phenotype is noted for its small, button-like appearance in lab tests, while the floating phenotype has dispersed cells, showing differences in antifungal resistance and genetic profiles.
  • The study found that Y132F-sinking isolates are increasingly common and associated with higher risks of severe infections, revealing important implications for treatment and understanding of C. parapsilosis bloodstream infections.
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Background: The progression of Alzheimer's dementia (AD) can be classified into three stages: cognitive unimpairment (CU), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD. The purpose of this study was to implement a machine learning (ML) framework for AD stage classification using the standard uptake value ratio (SUVR) extracted from F-flortaucipir positron emission tomography (PET) images. We demonstrate the utility of tau SUVR for AD stage classification.

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Repetitive sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) is a potential epidemiological technique that can provide high-throughput genotype fingerprints of heterogeneous strains rapidly. Previously published rep-PCR primers, which are based on nucleotide sequences of Gram-negative bacteria may have low specificity for mycobacteria. Moreover, it was difficult to ensure the continuity of the study after the commercial rep-PCR kit was discontinued.

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Anti-dementia medications are widely prescribed to patients with Alzheimer's dementia (AD) in South Korea. This study investigated the pattern of medical management in newly diagnosed patients with AD using a standardized data format-the Observational Medical Outcome Partnership Common Data Model from five hospitals. We examined the anti-dementia treatment patterns from datasets that comprise > 5 million patients during 2009-2019.

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  • - The study investigated the rate of toxigenic C. difficile infections (CDI) in children aged 0 to 18 years, finding a positive rate of 10.1% in stool samples, with the highest incidence in infants around 1 year old.
  • - Interestingly, no C. difficile was found in neonates, and an inverse relationship was noted between antibiotic usage and CDI positivity, especially in younger children.
  • - While CDI is not a major cause of diarrhea in children, the study highlights that they can still be carriers, potentially spreading the infection to adults at higher risk.
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Single nucleotide substitution in codon 140 of HLA-B*40:02:01:01 results in the novel HLA-B*40:489 allele.

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Background: Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are widely present in environments, such as soil and water, and have recently been recognized as important pathogenic bacteria. The incidence of NTM-related infections is steadily increasing. As the diagnosis and treatment of NTM infection should be distinguished from tuberculosis, and the treatment should be specific to the species of NTM acquired, accurate species identification is required.

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This study investigates GT-1 (also known as LCB10-0200), a novel-siderophore cephalosporin, inhibited multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative pathogen, via a Trojan horse strategy exploiting iron-uptake systems. We investigated GT-1 activity and the role of siderophore uptake systems, and the combination of GT-1 and a non-β-lactam β-lactamase inhibitor (BLI) of diazabicyclooctane, GT-055, (also referred to as LCB18-055) against molecularly characterised resistant , and spp. isolates.

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Introduction: Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been introduced for bacterial identification. The ASTA MicroIDSys system (ASTA, Suwon, Korea) is a new MALDI-TOF MS system developed for species identification of microorganisms. We evaluated the performance of MicroIDSys against clinical isolates of anaerobic bacteria.

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Detecting carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) has become increasingly difficult due to the emergence of diverse enzymes. The aim of the study was to evaluate an agar plate-based modified carbapenem inactivation method (p-mCIM) for detection of CPE. Stock strains and clinical isolates of CPE were used to evaluate the p-mCIM.

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Recently, a and co-harboring ST 617 isolate was identified from an asymptomatic carrier in Korea. An 81-year-old female was admitted to a university hospital for aortic cardiac valve repair surgery. Following surgery, she was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for three days, and carbapenem-resistant YMC/2017/02/MS631 was isolated from a surveillance culture (rectal swab).

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The molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of Clostridioides difficile were studied in South Korea in 2017 as part of a National Surveillance System. From February to May 2017, all non-duplicate isolates of C. difficile were recovered from patients who were suspected to have C.

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  • The detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is essential for effective treatment and controlling infections.
  • Researchers evaluated the Triton Hodge test (THT), utilizing either a spreader or an inoculating loop to apply a 20% Triton solution on Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA).
  • By simplifying the THT process and removing a dilution step, the presence of Triton significantly improved the growth detection of CPE, achieving 100% sensitivity for identifying both NDM-1-like and KPC-2-like enzyme producers.
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