Sex-Specific Susceptibility Loci Associated With Coronary Artery Aneurysms in Patients With Kawasaki Disease.

Background And Objectives: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis that primarily affects children under age 5 years. Approximately 20-25% of untreated children with KD and 3-5% of those treated with intravenous immunoglobulin therapy develop coronary artery aneurysms (CAAs). The prevalence of CAAs is much higher in male than in female patients with KD, but the underlying factors contributing to susceptibility to CAAs in patients with KD remain unclear.

Identification of B-cell-related HSPG2 and CDSN as susceptibility loci for Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute pediatric vasculitis that predominantly affects children under the age of 5 years. To date, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several KD susceptibility genes (e.g.

Common immunopathogenesis of central nervous system diseases: the protein-homeostasis-system hypothesis.

There are hundreds of central nervous system (CNS) diseases, but there are few diseases for which the etiology or pathogenesis is understood as well as those of other organ-specific diseases. Cells in the CNS are selectively protected from external and internal insults by the blood-brain barrier. Thus, the neuroimmune system, including microglia and immune proteins, might control external or internal insults that the adaptive immune system cannot control or mitigate.

Identification of rare coding variants associated with Kawasaki disease by whole exome sequencing.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute pediatric vasculitis that affects genetically susceptible infants and children. To identify coding variants that influence susceptibility to KD, we conducted whole exome sequencing of 159 patients with KD and 902 controls, and performed a replication study in an independent 586 cases and 732 controls. We identified five rare coding variants in five genes (FCRLA, PTGER4, IL17F, CARD11, and SIGLEC10) associated with KD (odds ratio [OR], 1.

Immunogenicity and Safety of a Newly Developed Tetanus-Diphtheria Toxoid (Td) in Healthy Korean Adolescents: a Multi-center, Randomized, Double-blind, Active-Controlled Phase 3 Trial.

Background: Although the combination tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) is recommended at adolescence in developed countries, the tetanus and diphtheria toxoid vaccine (Td), which is less costly, is recommended instead in some parts of the world. A new Td, BR-TD-1001, was developed by a Korean manufacturer for distribution to endemic regions and for use in the initial step of novel Tdap development.

Methods: This phase 3, randomized, double-blind, multi-center trial, conducted in Korea, aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of BR-TD-1001.

Etiological and pathophysiological enigmas of severe coronavirus disease 2019, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, and Kawasaki disease.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a novel multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has been reported worldwide since the first cases were reported in Europe in April 2020. MIS-C is temporally associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and shows Kawasaki disease (KD)-like features. The epidemiological and clinical characteristics in COVID-19, KD, and MIS-C differ, but severe cases of each disease share similar clinical and laboratory findings such as a protracted clinical course, multiorgan involvement, and similar activated biomarkers.

Macrolide-Resistant and Macrolide-Sensitive Pneumonia in Children Treated Using Early Corticosteroids.

We have found that early corticosteroid therapy was effective for reducing morbidity during five Korea-wide epidemics. We evaluated the clinical and laboratory parameters of 56 children who received early corticosteroid treatment for pneumonia that was caused by macrolide-resistant () or macrolide-sensitive between July 2019 and February 2020. All subjects had dual positive results from a PCR assay and serological test, and received corticosteroids within 24-36 h after admission.

Active-controlled phase III study of an egg-cultivated quadrivalent inactivated split-virion influenza vaccine (GC3110A) in healthy Korean children aged 6-35 months.

The inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) offers limited protection when two influenza B lineages co-circulate or when there is a vaccine mismatch (i.e., discordance in the predominant circulating B strain and WHO-recommended B strain).

Early Confirmation of Infection by Two Short-Term Serologic IgM Examination.

The aim of the present study is to re-evaluate the clinical application of two-times serologic immunoglobulin M (IgM) tests using microparticle agglutination assay (MAA), an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in diagnosing (MP) infection. A retrospective analysis of 62 children with MP pneumonia during a recent epidemic (2019-2020) was conducted. The MAA and ELISA immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG measurements were conducted twice at admission and around discharge, and MP PCR once at presentation.

IgA Levels Are Associated with Coronary Artery Lesions in Kawasaki Disease.

Background And Objectives: Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic vasculitis that affects the coronary arteries. Abnormal immune reactions are thought to contribute to disease pathogenesis. The effect of immunoglobulin (Ig) isotype (IgG, IgA, IgM, and IgE) on inflammatory data and clinical outcomes of patients with KD was examined.

Clinical features and outcomes of influenza by virus type/subtype/lineage in pediatric patients.

Background: Recently, four influenza viruses are circulating worldwide: A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2), B/Victoria, and B/Yamagata. However, information on the clinical differences among pediatric patients infected with four recently circulating influenza viruses is sparse.

Methods: Medical records of pediatric patients (<20 years of age) diagnosed with influenza between the 2014-2015 and 2018-2019 influenza seasons were retrospectively reviewed.

Association of an IGHV3-66 gene variant with Kawasaki disease.

In a meta-analysis of three GWAS for susceptibility to Kawasaki disease (KD) conducted in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan and follow-up studies with a total of 11,265 subjects (3428 cases and 7837 controls), a significantly associated SNV in the immunoglobulin heavy variable gene (IGHV) cluster in 14q33.32 was identified (rs4774175; OR = 1.20, P = 6.

Febrile urinary tract infection in children: changes in epidemiology, etiology, and antibiotic resistance patterns over a decade.

Background: Understanding the epidemiology and prevalence of febrile urinary tract infection (fUTI) in children is important for risk stratification and selecting appropriate urine sample collection candidates to aid in its diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the epidemiology, etiology, and changes in antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the first fUTI in children.

Methods: This retrospective observational cohort study included children younger than 19 years of age who were diagnosed and treated for their first fUTI in 2006-2016.

Differences in the age distribution of influenza B virus infection according to influenza B virus lineages in the Korean population.

Objectives: Since the 2000s, two lineages of the influenza B virus (influenza B/Victoria and influenza B/Yamagata) have been co-circulating. Information on the age distribution of patients infected by each influenza B virus lineage may be helpful for establishing differentiated influenza prevention and control strategies for each age group.

Methods: Age distributions were compared between patients infected by influenza A and B viruses and between those infected by the influenza B virus when B/Victoria and B/Yamagata lineages circulated dominantly.

Immunopathogenesis of COVID-19 and early immunomodulators.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading globally. Although its etiologic agent is discovered as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), there are many unsolved issues in COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. The causes of different clinical phenotypes and incubation periods among individuals, species specificity, and cytokine storm with lymphopenia as well as the mechanism of damage to organ cells are unknown.

Association of the IL16 Asn1147Lys polymorphism with intravenous immunoglobulin resistance in Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute, self-limited vasculitis, mainly affecting children younger than 5 years old, with accompanying fever and signs of mucocutaneous inflammation. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is the standard treatment for KD; however, ~15% of patients are resistant to IVIG treatment. To identify protein coding genetic variants influencing IVIG resistance, we re-analyzed our previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from 296 patients with KD, including 101 IVIG non-responders and 195 IVIG responders.

Changes in clinical features in Henoch-Schönlein purpura during three decades: an observational study at a single hospital in Korea.

Objective: It is unknown whether epidemiological or clinical characteristics of Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) have changed over time. This study aimed at evaluating the epidemiological and clinical changes of HSP during 3 decades.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 515 children with HSP (0-15 years of age) between 1987 and 2015.

A Presumed Etiology of Kawasaki Disease Based on Epidemiological Comparison With Infectious or Immune-Mediated Diseases.

Kawasaki disease (KD) may be associated with infection of unknown pathogen(s). For predicting of the etiology of KD, we evaluated epidemiological characteristics in KD, common infectious diseases and immune-mediated diseases in childhood. We respectively, reviewed the data of patients with KD, influenza, aseptic meningitis, exanthem subitum (ES), (MP) pneumonia, acute pyelonephritis (APN), Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP), acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN), and childhood asthma.

Early Corticosteroid Therapy for Pneumonia Irrespective of Used Antibiotics in Children.

Antibiotics' effect on (MP) infection still remains controversial. A prospective study of 257 children with MP pneumonia during a recent epidemic (2015-2016) was conducted. All MP pneumonia patients were treated with corticosteroids within 24-36 h after admission.

Epidemiological relationship between pneumonia and recurrent wheezing episode in children: an observational study at a single hospital in Korea.

Objective: This study was aimed to evaluate epidemiological and clinical relationship between (MP) infection and childhood recurrent wheezing episode (RWE).

Design: Retrospective case note review.

Setting: Paediatric department at a single Korean institution.