Showing papers by "Woo Joo Kim published in 2020"
TL;DR: SARS-CoV-2 viral load was consistently high in the saliva; it was relatively higher than that in the oropharynx during the early stage of COVID-19.
Abstract: Background Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can unknowingly spread the virus to several people during the early subclinical period. Methods We evaluated the viral dynamics in various body fluid specimens, such as nasopharyngeal swab, oropharyngeal swab, saliva, sputum, and urine specimens, of two patients with COVID-19 from hospital day 1 to 9. Additional samples of the saliva were taken at 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours after using a chlorhexidine mouthwash. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral load was determined by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). Results SARS-CoV-2 was detected from all the five specimens of both patients by rRT-PCR. The viral load was the highest in the nasopharynx (patient 1 = 8.41 log10 copies/mL; patient 2 = 7.49 log10 copies/mL), but it was also remarkably high in the saliva (patient 1 = 6.63 log10 copies/mL; patient 2 = 7.10 log10 copies/mL). SARS-CoV-2 was detected up to hospital day 6 (illness day 9 for patient 2) from the saliva of both patients. The viral load in the saliva decreased transiently for 2 hours after using the chlorhexidine mouthwash. Conclusion SARS-CoV-2 viral load was consistently high in the saliva; it was relatively higher than that in the oropharynx during the early stage of COVID-19. Chlorhexidine mouthwash was effective in reducing the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the saliva for a short-term period.
243 citations
TL;DR: Diagnosis was delayed in 11 patients because of subclinical symptoms and diverse initial manifestation of Covid-19 in South Korea.
Abstract: Subclinical Covid-19 in South Korea Among 28 early confirmed cases of Covid-19 in South Korea, diagnosis was delayed in 11 patients because of subclinical symptoms and diverse initial manifestation...
107 citations
TL;DR: Irrespective of clinical manifestations, all patients with COVID-19 showed prolonged viral shedding and mean duration of SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding was 24.5 days.
80 citations
TL;DR: Establishment of guideline for workplace social distancing is needed and it would contribute to reduce disease burden of influenza, especially in vaccine mismatch year.
Abstract: Social distancing has been adopted as one of basic protective measures against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). During 2019-2020 season, influenza epidemic period was exceptionally short and epidemic peak was low in comparison with previous seasons in Korea. Influenza epidemic pattern was bimodal in 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 seasons, however, influenza viruses have rarely been circulating in spring, 2020 in Korea. Although multiple factors could affect the size of influenza epidemic, extensive application of nonpharmaceutical interventions including mask wearing and social distancing in response to COVID-19 seems to be a major factor of reduced influenza epidemic. Social distancing measures with high feasibility and high acceptability should be implemented even if severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines are developed in the future. Establishment of guideline for workplace social distancing is needed and it would contribute to reduce disease burden of influenza, especially in vaccine mismatch year.
50 citations
TL;DR: The strategies for safe hospital operation based on the experiences of the Republic of Korea during early COVID-19 pandemic are presented, and each hospital should keep multiple layered defenses to prevent even small cracks in the hospital’s quarantine system.
33 citations
TL;DR: Serosurveillance studies reveal the actual disease burden and herd immunity level in the population and suggest low seroprevalence reflects well-implemented social distancing.
Abstract: Serosurveillance studies reveal the actual disease burden and herd immunity level in the population. In Seoul, Korea, a cross-sectional investigation showed 0.07% anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 antibody seropositivity among 1,500 outpatients of the university hospitals. Low seroprevalence reflects well-implemented social distancing. Serosurveillance should be repeated as the pandemic progresses.
31 citations
TL;DR: RSV infection in South Korea seemed to have a significant burden among adults as pneumonia, care in the intensive care unit and mortality, and solid cancer and hematologic malignancy were shown to be risk factors for RSV pneumonia.
Abstract: The disease burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in the adult population has not been well characterized compared to children. Investigation of the clinical characteristics and disease burden of adult RSV infection would help to establish public health policy and a future vaccine strategy. We retrospectively collected medical records of hospitalized adult patients who were diagnosed with RSV infection from January 2012 to December 2015 from three tertiary hospitals. Baseline characteristics, clinical outcomes and economic charge during hospitalization were compared by age groups (19–49 years, 50–64 years, and ≥ 65 years) using Chi-square test. The odds of risk factors of RSV pneumonia were calculated using binary logistic regression. A total of 204 patients from three hospitals were enrolled. Patients who older than 65 years were 132 (64.7%). 118 (57.8%) patients had clinically confirmed pneumonia and 22 (10.8%) died in a hospital. The median medical cost of RSV pneumonia was 2,855.26 USD (interquartile range, 1,561.85–5,379.55) per each admission. Solid cancer (adjusted OR, 3.85; 95% CI, 1.65–9.02, p = 0.002) and hematologic malignancy (all patients had pneumonia) were shown to be risk factors for RSV pneumonia. RSV infection in South Korea seemed to have a significant burden among adults as pneumonia, care in the intensive care unit and mortality. Nationwide awareness and further effort to recognize the current burden, prepare specific treatment, and prevent adult RSV infection would be necessary.
17 citations
TL;DR: Maternal influenza infection might have long-term effects on the health of children and adolescents even after infancy, as assessed by merging the Korea National Health Insurance claims database and National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children.
Abstract: Pregnant women are at high risk of influenza-related morbidity and mortality. In addition, maternal influenza infection may lead to adverse birth outcomes. However, there is insufficient data on long-term impact of maternal influenza infection. This study was conducted to assess the impact of maternal influenza infection on birth outcomes and long-term influence on infants by merging the Korea National Health Insurance (KNHI) claims database and National Health Screening Program for Infants and Children (NHSP-IC). Mother-offspring pairs were categorized by maternal influenza infection based on the ICD-10 code. Multivariate analysis revealed that maternal influenza infection significantly increased the risk of preterm birth (OR 1.408) and low birth weight (OR 1.198) irrespective of gestational age. The proportion of low birth weight neonates was significantly higher in influenza-infected women compared to those without influenza. However, since the fourth health screening (30–80 months after birth), the fraction of underweight was no longer different between children from influenza-infected and non-infected mothers, whereas the rates of overweight increased paradoxically in those born to mothers with influenza infection. Maternal influenza infection might have long-term effects on the health of children and adolescents even after infancy.
16 citations
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that p38 MAPK-mediated matrix metalloproteinase-13 expression by influenza A virus infection led to destabilization of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques in artery.
Abstract: Background Influenza virus infection triggers acute cardiovascular events. Several studies have demonstrated that influenza A virus infection was associated with immune cell influx and increased production of inflammatory cytokines in the atherosclerotic plaque lesion, but the underlying mechanism for these findings is not clear. Methods We examined the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) by influenza A virus infection in human cells using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and human MMP-13 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In an animal study, protein expression in the plaque lesions of apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-deficient mice were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Results We confirmed that MMP-13 was increased in influenza A virus-infected cells. In the aorta of infected ApoE-deficient mice, MMP-13 was increased at 3 days after infection. Immunohistochemical staining results suggested that collagen was degraded in the MMP-13 expression area and that macrophages were the main source of MMP-13 expression. Furthermore, the expression of MMP-13 was regulated by influenza A virus through activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Conclusions In this study, we demonstrated that p38 MAPK-mediated MMP-13 expression by influenza A virus infection led to destabilization of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques in the artery.
16 citations
TL;DR: Both the delay-adjusted CFRs and crude CFRs evolved substantially, particularly early in the epidemic, converging only from mid-April 2020 and highlighting the need for caution when interpreting CFRs calculated at a given time point.
15 citations
TL;DR: During consecutive influenza A/H3N2-dominant influenza seasons between 2012 and 2015, poor influenza vaccine effectiveness may be more pronounced among the elderly population with a high annual vaccine uptake rate.
TL;DR: PCV13 showed significantly inferior immunogenicity among HIV-infected patients with CD4 T-cell count <350 cells/µL compared to those with a higher CD 4 T- cell count, and was safe and well tolerated in HIV- Infected patients irrespective of immune status.
Abstract: HIV-infected patients are 30- to 100-fold more susceptible to invasive pneumococcal diseases than are healthy adults. Pneumococcal vaccination may be the best way to decrease the large pneumococcal...
TL;DR: The disease burden of PCV13-serotype pneumococcal CAP remains significantly high in Korean adults, particularly among elderly people, even after a high uptake of pediatric PCVs.
TL;DR: Hantavax® showed a high seroconversion rate after the three-dose priming, and additional dose administration with 11-month interval induced good booster effects.
TL;DR: Graphical Abstracts: as mentioned in this paper, Section 3.1.2.3.1, Section 2.2, Section 4.3, Section 5.4, Section 6.
Abstract: Graphical Abstract
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of depression and anxiety on the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) among people living with HIV/AIDS was investigated. But, the authors did not consider the effect of depression on the long duration of HIV infection.
Abstract: Objectives As HIV/AIDS is becoming a chronic disease, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) among people living with HIV/AIDS is rising. Anxiety and depression, which are common among people living with HIV/AIDS, have been linked with CVD. This study investigated the risk of CVD in people living with HIV/AIDS and explored the effects of depression and anxiety on CVD risk. Methods Data were collected for 457 people enrolled in the Korea Cohort HIV/AIDS study after 2010. Framingham risk scores were calculated to quantify the 10-year risk of developing CVD. Depression and anxiety variables were re-coded as a single combined variable. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed, adjusting for age, body mass index, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), duration of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positivity after entry into the cohort, and depression/anxiety. Results Participants with both depression and anxiety were 2.28 times more likely than those with neither depression nor anxiety to have moderate/high-risk CVD risk. The 10-year risk of developing CVD was affected by LDL cholesterol, TG, age, and duration of HIV infection. LDL cholesterol and TG levels change according to the duration of HIV infection, and metabolic disorders affect the risk of CVD. Thus, a longer duration of HIV infection is associated with a higher risk of developing CVD. Conclusions Screenings for depression and anxiety need to be provided regularly to assess the severity of those symptoms. To help decrease their risk of developing CVD, people living with HIV/AIDS should be offered behavioral modification interventions aimed at developing healthy lifestyle habits.
TL;DR: Lower levels of OPA titers against all tested serotypes in neonates/infants, despite high maternal titers, indicates that intrapartum GBS vaccinations may be required for efficient placental transfer of serotype-specific GBS antibodies with high avidity.
Abstract: Group B streptococcus (GBS) vaccines are currently under development. Data on the natural immunity in diverse age groups will aid establishing the GBS immunization policy. In this study, thirty ser...