Publications by authors named "Kyung-Wook Hong"
Article Synopsis
- Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) has a high mortality rate, especially in immunocompromised patients, often leading to severe encephalitis symptoms before death.* -
- The SFTS virus (SFTSV) infects critical areas of the brain like the brainstem and spinal cord, resulting in respiratory and motor nerve issues.* -
- Activated A1-reactive astrocytes in infected mice cause neuronal cell death and neuroinflammation, suggesting a potential target for future SFTS treatments, as there are currently no effective therapies.*
While an association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and viral infections has been recognized, the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on PD progression remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 infection heightens the risk of PD using human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived dopaminergic (DA) neurons and a human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) transgenic (Tg) mouse model. Our findings reveal that SARS-CoV-2 infection exacerbates PD susceptibility and cellular toxicity in DA neurons pre-treated with human preformed fibrils (hPFFs).
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- MRSA infections are tough to treat due to their ability to form protective biofilms and resist antibiotics.
- Researchers tested the impact of low antibiotic concentrations (sub-MICs) on MRSA biofilm formation, finding that many isolates increased biofilm growth when exposed to antibiotics like nafcillin, vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, and rifampin.
- A majority of MRSA strains tested, particularly the ST5 and ST72 types, exhibited stronger biofilm production at sub-MIC levels, indicating that certain strains and antibiotic classes substantially influence biofilm induction.
- Understanding these dynamics can help improve treatment strategies for MRSA infections by considering the roles of antibiotic exposure and specific bacterial strains.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn patients recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia, respiratory symptoms and radiographic pneumonic infiltrate occasionally persist for many weeks even after viral clearance; thereby, making it difficult to decide on an appropriate treatment. Here, we describe a 46-year-old woman with COVID-19 pneumonia who had persistent radiographic pneumonic infiltration and respiratory symptoms for almost 4 weeks after illness onset, despite viral clearance, and was subsequently diagnosed with secondary organizing pneumonia (SOP) using video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) wedge lung biopsy. Intravenous methylprednisolone was administered at an initial dose of 50 mg/day (1 mg/kg) for 7 days and was tapered to a dose of prednisolone 30 mg/day following improvement in the patient's respiratory symptoms and chest radiographic findings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), an emerging viral infectious disease, is mainly transmitted by ticks in the surrounding environment. Clinical progress and risk factors for prognosis in SFTS patients were not yet fully understood. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze clinical progression and laboratory data related to the prognosis of South Korean SFTS patients in a single institution from 2014 to 2021.
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- - The study analyzed outcomes for 257 pregnant women with COVID-19 in South Korea, focusing on maternal and neonatal effects, and found that most cases occurred in the third trimester, with a low rate of complications and no maternal deaths.
- - Significant risk factors for severe disease included the timing of COVID-19 diagnosis during pregnancy and the number of previous pregnancies (parity), with about 78.5% of women delivering via cesarean section.
- - No vertical transmission of the virus to newborns occurred, and overall, maternal COVID-19 severity did not negatively impact neonatal health outcomes, as all newborns tested negative for the virus.
Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance is one of the most urgent global health threats. The need for the qualitative evaluation of antibiotic use at the national level is increasing. To identify areas for improvement, we aimed to assess the prevalence and appropriateness of antibiotic prescriptions during hospitalization and ambulatory care in Korea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Real-world clinical data concerning regdanvimab, a monoclonal antibody treatment for patients with mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), are urgently needed. Here, we describe our experience with regdanvimab.
Materials And Methods: This retrospective cohort study enrolled high-risk adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who were admitted to a dedicated COVID-19 hospital in Korea from March to September 2021.
Purpose: This study aimed to examine the changes in the characteristics of community-onset fluoroquinolone-resistant (FQ-R) Escherichia coli isolates causing community-acquired acute pyelonephritis (APN) in South Korea.
Methods: Blood or urine samples were prospectively collected from patients aged ≥15 years with community-acquired APN who were admitted to one of the eight Korean hospitals included in this study between September 2017 and August 2018. Phylogenetic typing, multilocus sequence typing, and molecular characterization of β-lactamase resistance and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants were performed.
Article Synopsis
- * Conducted across eight hospitals from September 2017 to August 2018, the study evaluated the appropriateness of antibiotic use based on guidelines and assessed clinical outcomes and medical expenses for both appropriate and inappropriate prescriptions.
- * Results showed that appropriate antibiotic use led to shorter hospital stays (8 vs. 10 days) and lower medical costs (approximately $2382 vs. $3236), highlighting the negative consequences of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing, including increased costs and longer treatment durations.
Background: Data on severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) delta variant virulence are insufficient. We retrospectively compared the clinical features of adult coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients without risk factors for severe COVID-19 who entered residential treatment centers (RTCs) before and after the delta variant outbreak.
Methods: We collected medical information from two RTCs in South Korea.
Background: This study is designed to evaluate the main hypothesis that nafamostat mesilate with standard therapy improves the severity and mortality rate in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.
Methods: We conduct a randomized, open type, multi-institute/center, 2-group clinical trial with COVID-19 pneumonia patients in Korea. Eighty four patients with COVID-19 pneumonia are randomly assigned to intervention group or control group.
Background: Community-acquired acute pyelonephritis (CA-APN) is relatively rare in men. This study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics of CA-APN between male and female patients.
Methods: We prospectively collected the clinical and microbiological data of hospitalized CA-APN patients aged ≥19 years in South Korea from March 2010 to February 2011 in 11 hospitals and from September 2017 to August 2018 in 8 hospitals.
Article Synopsis
- - This study analyzed the clinical features of community-acquired acute pyelonephritis (CA-APN) patients in South Korea, comparing data from 2010-2011 and 2017-2018, involving 617 patients in the latter period and 818 in the former.
- - The research found that the most common bacteria causing CA-APN remained consistent, but there was a significant increase in antimicrobial resistance against various antibiotics, including fluoroquinolone and cefotaxime, from the earlier period to the later one.
- - As a result of higher resistance, the average duration of antibiotic treatment rose from 16.55 days to 19.12 days, and the median hospitalization increased from
Objective: Early replacement of a new central venous catheter (CVC) may pose a risk of persistent or recurrent infection in patients with a catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI). We evaluated the clinical impact of early CVC reinsertion after catheter removal in patients with CRBSIs.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of adult patients with confirmed CRBSIs in 2 tertiary-care hospitals over a 7-year period.
Background: The South Korean government has been combating the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak using public information and extensive viral screening. We describe the application of the Korean response system in Gyeongsangnam-do province and outline the epidemiological features of COVID-19 in the cohort.
Methods: A Rapid Response Team tracked the patients' activities and identified close contacts.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with two types of bloodstream infections (BSIs) over a 9-year period at a tertiary hospital.
- A total of 37 cases of one type of BSI were matched with 160 cases of another type, revealing that those with the first BSI were more likely to have biliary tract diseases and community-acquired infections.
- The main focus of infection was intra-abdominal, with a higher prevalence of biliary tract infections and pancreatitis in the first BSI group, though mortality rates after 14 and 30 days were lower but not significantly different between the two groups.
Clinical and Molecular Characteristics of - and -Positive Methicillin-Resistant Causing Bloodstream Infections.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother
April 2019
The increasing use of chlorhexidine for methicillin-resistant (MRSA) decolonization has raised concerns about the emergence of resistance to these agents. However, the clinical significance of MRSA positive for the and chlorhexidine tolerance genes has not been established. We investigated the clinical features and predictive factors of MRSA bloodstream infection (BSI) isolates, caused by - and -positive MRSA, from 2010 to 2016 at a tertiary hospital in South Korea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfluenza virus is a respiratory pathogen that causes seasonal epidemics by resulting in a considerable number of influenza-like illness (ILI) patients. During the 2016/17 season, ILI rates increased unusually earlier and higher than previous seasons in Korea, and most viral isolates were subtyped as H3N2 strains. Notably, the hemagglutinin (HA) of most Korean H3N2 strains retained newly introduced lysine signatures in HA antigenic sites A and D, compared with that of clade 3C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeasonal influenza is caused by two influenza A subtype (H1N1 and H3N2) and two influenza B lineage (Victoria and Yamagata) viruses. Of these antigenically distinct viruses, the H3N2 virus was consistently detected in substantial proportions in Korea during the 2010/11-2013/14 seasons when compared to the other viruses and appeared responsible for the influenza-like illness rate peak during the first half of the 2011/12 season. To further scrutinize possible causes for this, we investigated the evolutionary and serological relationships between the vaccine and Korean H3N2 strains during the 2011/12 season for the main antigenic determinants of influenza viruses, the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To describe the incidence, clinical courses, and risk factors for mortality of lower respiratory tract diseases (LRDs) caused by common respiratory viruses (CRVs) in stem cell transplantation (SCT) recipients.
Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 1038 patients who received SCT between January 2007 and August 2011 at a single center in Korea.
Results: Seventy-one CRV-LRDs were identified in 67 (6.
Article Synopsis
- - Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is similar to respiratory syncytial virus and often leads to re-infection in the elderly due to an incomplete immune response to new strains.
- - A 73-year-old woman with acute breathing problems and influenza-like symptoms was diagnosed with HMPV, which caused pneumonia and inflammation of the heart lining (myopericarditis).
- - After receiving oxygen and supportive care in the hospital, she fully recovered, highlighting that HMPV can lead to serious cardiovascular issues in elderly patients.