Publications by authors named "Su-Jhen Hung"
Dengue virus (DENV) causes approximately 390 million dengue infections worldwide every year. There were 22,777 reported DENV infections in Tainan, Taiwan in 2015. In this study, we sequenced the C-prM-E genes from 45 DENV 2015 strains, and phylogenetic analysis based on C-prM-E genes revealed that all strains were classified as DENV serotype 2 Cosmopolitan genotype.
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- RNA viruses, like DENV, have high mutation rates that lead to a diverse group of closely related viruses known as quasispecies, which may influence disease severity.
- A study analyzed 22 DENV isolates (10 from mild cases and 12 from fatal cases) using Next Generation Sequencing, identifying six significant nucleotide variations linked to more severe outcomes.
- Further testing of two specific viral variants showed increased replication rates in certain cell types and revealed temperature sensitivity, suggesting that these genetic changes could contribute to the virulence of DENV in infected individuals.
Article Synopsis
- Dengue virus is a significant health threat, and although new criteria for assessing severe dengue exist, predicting severe outcomes in patients remains challenging.
- A study analyzed 65 primary dengue patients, including 17 who developed severe cases, using deep sequencing to identify specific RNA variants (SNVs) and defective genomes (DVGs).
- Results showed that certain SNVs and DVGs were linked to severe dengue, allowing a machine learning model to predict severe cases with high accuracy (AUROC of 0.966), highlighting key genetic markers for risk assessment.
Article Synopsis
- The Zika virus (ZIKV) was previously seen as a mild virus until major outbreaks in French Polynesia and the Americas caused over 700,000 cases and serious birth defects.
- The virus evolved through multiple amino acid mutations as it spread globally, enhancing its ability to cause epidemics and increase its pathogenicity.
- The review examines contributing factors to the recent rise in ZIKV activity, discussing interactions among the virus, its hosts, mosquitoes, and environmental influences that fueled the epidemics.
Article Synopsis
- Dengue virus can lead to serious illness, but predicting severe cases is difficult; this study aimed to create machine learning models to better assess risk based on patient data.
- Researchers analyzed data from 798 patients, including 138 severe cases, using various machine learning techniques, with the artificial neural network performing the best in predicting severe dengue outcomes.
- The study identified age and levels of dengue NS1 antigen as the most significant factors influencing the severity of dengue, highlighting the potential of machine learning in clinical decision-making.
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- Highly pathogenic viruses pose a global threat, and vaccines are crucial for preventing infections, but their development is hindered by the need for high biosafety conditions.
- This study developed pseudovirus systems for the SARS-CoV-2 and avian influenza virus H5, allowing researchers to safely assess vaccine efficacy and immunogenicity in a lower biosafety level.
- The results showed that using pseudoviruses can accelerate vaccine development, helping to protect communities from dangerous emerging and re-emerging viral diseases.
Article Synopsis
- Influenza A viruses are a significant global health risk due to their potential to cause epidemics and pandemics, and the nucleoprotein (NP) plays a crucial role in viral replication and transcription.
- Researchers studied the NP gene of H3N2 viruses from Taiwan and a large database, finding genetic variations that affect the virus's evolution and replication properties.
- The analysis revealed specific residue substitutions in the NP that influence polymerase activity, suggesting that these genetic variations are important in understanding how the virus adapts and evolves over time.
Article Synopsis
- The first deep sequencing method was introduced in 2005 and quickly gained popularity for studying genetic diversity in viruses, particularly RNA viruses, due to falling costs and increasing data availability.
- This method provides detailed insights into viral epidemiology and evolution, highlighting genetic changes in viral populations through high-resolution data.
- The review focuses on various deep sequencing platforms used in viral studies and examines their applications in understanding viral evolution, drug resistance, and immune responses, making them essential tools in virology research.