Short-Term Effectiveness of Oral Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant and Culture-Positive Viral Shedding

Background@#Information on the effectiveness of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir against the omicron is limited. The clinical response and viral kinetics to therapy in the real world need to be evaluated. @*Methods@#Mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with risk factors for severe illness were prospectively enrolled as a treatment group with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir therapy versus a control group with supportive care. Serial viral load and culture from the upper respiratory tract were evaluated for seven days, and clinical responses and adverse reactions were evaluated for 28 days. @*Results@#A total of 51 patients were analyzed including 40 in the treatment group and 11 in the control group. Faster symptom resolution during hospitalization (P= 0.048) was observed in the treatment group. Only minor adverse reactions were reported in 27.5% of patients. The viral load on Day 7 was lower in the treatment group (P = 0.002). The viral culture showed a positivity of 67.6% (25/37) vs. 100% (6/6) on Day 1, 0% (0/37) vs. 16.7 (1/6) on Day 5, and 0% (0/16) vs. 50.0% (2/4) on Day 7 in the treatment and control groups, respectively. @*Conclusions@#Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir against the omicron was safe and resulted in negative viral culture conversion after Day 5 of treatment with better symptomatic resolution.

Identification of Coronavirus Isolated from a Patient in Korea with COVID-19

ObjectivesFollowing reports of patients with unexplained pneumonia at the end of December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the causative agent was identified as coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), and the 2019 novel coronavirus disease was named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization. Putative patients with COVID-19 have been identified in South Korea, and attempts have been made to isolate the pathogen from these patients.MethodsUpper and lower respiratory tract secretion samples from putative patients with COVID-19 were inoculated onto cells to isolate the virus. Full genome sequencing and electron microscopy were used to identify the virus.ResultsThe virus replicated in Vero cells and cytopathic effects were observed. Full genome sequencing showed that the virus genome exhibited sequence homology of more than 99.9% with SARS-CoV-2 which was isolated from patients from other countries, for instance China. Sequence homology of SARS-CoV-2 with SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV was 77.5% and 50%, respectively. Coronavirus-specific morphology was observed by electron microscopy in virus-infected Vero cells.ConclusionSARS-CoV-2 was isolated from putative patients with unexplained pneumonia and intermittent coughing and fever. The isolated virus was named BetaCoV/Korea/KCDC03/2020.

Orthodontic Traction of Impacted Teeth with Modified Nance Appliance : Case Reports / 대한소아치과학회지

Proper treatment of an impacted tooth is required as it causes functional and esthetic disharmony, as well as it can cause root absorption of adjacent teeth. Treatment options for impacted teeth include periodic observation, surgical exposure, orthodontic traction followed by surgical exposure, tooth transplantation, and extraction. Modified Nance appliance, used for orthodontic traction, is clinically useful because it does not require patient cooperation. Through orthodontic traction combined with surgical exposure of impacted maxillary incisors, canines, and molars using modified Nance appliance, adequate results can be obtained.

Evaluation of Palatal Rugae Following Orthopedic Treatment Using Rapid Maxillary Expander and Facemask / 대한소아치과학회지

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the palatal rugae could be used as an appropriate reference area for serial model superimposition following Rapid maxillary expansion(RME) and facemask treatment.A total of 52 pediatric patients who had undergone RME and facemask treatment were selected. Palate and palatal rugae in the pre- and post- treatment casts from the patients were measured.In spite of dentoalveolar changes occurred by RME and facemask, anteroposterior changes in palate and palatal rugae were not significant. Anatomical changes of palate and palatal rugae were mostly shown in the transverse dimension. The soft tissue of the palatal rugae stretches in adaptation to hard tissue movement. Among the evaluated landmarks, the medial point of the third palatal rugae seemed to be the most stable.The observed alterations in the palatal rugae demonstrated the potential of medial points of third palatal rugae as a reference point in model superimpositions to evaluate dental movement within the maxillary arch following RME and facemask treatment.

Evolutionary relationship analysis of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus 4a and 4b protein coding sequences

The 4a and 4b proteins of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been described for their antagonism on host innate immunity. However, unlike clustering patterns of the complete gene sequences of human and camel MERS-CoVs, the 4a and 4b protein coding regions did not constitute species-specific phylogenetic groups. Moreover, given the estimated evolutionary rates of the complete, 4a, and 4b gene sequences, the 4a and 4b proteins might be less affected by species-specific innate immune pressures. These results suggest that the 4a and 4b proteins of MERS-CoV may function against host innate immunity in a manner independent of host species and/or evolutionary clustering patterns.

Contribution of Container Types on Cosmetics Contamination

No abstract available.

Towards the Application of Human Defensins as Antivirals

Defensins are antimicrobial peptides that participate in the innate immunity of hosts. Humans constitutively and/or inducibly express α- and β-defensins, which are known for their antiviral and antibacterial activities. This review describes the application of human defensins. We discuss the extant experimental results, limited though they are, to consider the potential applicability of human defensins as antiviral agents. Given their antiviral effects, we propose that basic research be conducted on human defensins that focuses on RNA viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza A virus (IAV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and dengue virus (DENV), which are considered serious human pathogens but have posed huge challenges for vaccine development for different reasons. Concerning the prophylactic and therapeutic applications of defensins, we then discuss the applicability of human defensins as antivirals that has been demonstrated in reports using animal models. Finally, we discuss the potential adjuvant-like activity of human defensins and propose an exploration of the ‘defensin vaccine’ concept to prime the body with a controlled supply of human defensins. In sum, we suggest a conceptual framework to achieve the practical application of human defensins to combat viral infections.

Original Antigenic Sin Response to RNA Viruses and Antiviral Immunity

The human immune system has evolved to fight against foreign pathogens. It plays a central role in the body's defense mechanism. However, the immune memory geared to fight off a previously recognized pathogen, tends to remember an original form of the pathogen when a variant form subsequently invades. This has been termed 'original antigenic sin'. This adverse immunological effect can alter vaccine effectiveness and sometimes cause enhanced pathogenicity or additional inflammatory responses, according to the type of pathogen and the circumstances of infection. Here we aim to give a simplified conceptual understanding of virus infection and original antigenic sin by comparing and contrasting the two examples of recurring infections such as influenza and dengue viruses in humans.

Original Antigenic Sin Response to RNA Viruses and Antiviral Immunity

The human immune system has evolved to fight against foreign pathogens. It plays a central role in the body's defense mechanism. However, the immune memory geared to fight off a previously recognized pathogen, tends to remember an original form of the pathogen when a variant form subsequently invades. This has been termed 'original antigenic sin'. This adverse immunological effect can alter vaccine effectiveness and sometimes cause enhanced pathogenicity or additional inflammatory responses, according to the type of pathogen and the circumstances of infection. Here we aim to give a simplified conceptual understanding of virus infection and original antigenic sin by comparing and contrasting the two examples of recurring infections such as influenza and dengue viruses in humans.

Increased Sclerostin Levels after Further Ablation of Remnant Estrogen by Aromatase Inhibitors

BACKGROUND: Sclerostin is a secreted Wnt inhibitor produced almost exclusively by osteocytes, which inhibits bone formation. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs), which reduce the conversion of steroids to estrogen, are used to treat endocrine-responsive breast cancer. As AIs lower estrogen levels, they increase bone turnover and lower bone mass. We analyzed changes in serum sclerostin levels in Korean women with breast cancer who were treated with an AI. METHODS: We included postmenopausal women with endocrine-responsive breast cancer (n=90; mean age, 57.7 years) treated with an AI, and compared them to healthy premenopausal women (n=36; mean age, 28.0 years). The subjects were randomly assigned to take either 5 mg alendronate with 0.5 microg calcitriol (n=46), or placebo (n=44) for 6 months. RESULTS: Postmenopausal women with breast cancer had significantly higher sclerostin levels compared to those in premenopausal women (27.8+/-13.6 pmol/L vs. 23.1+/-4.8 pmol/L, P0.05). CONCLUSION: Serum sclerostin levels increased with absolute deficiency of residual estrogens in postmenopausal women with endocrine-responsive breast cancer who underwent AI therapy with concurrent bone loss.

Antiviral Agents Against Influenza Viruses

In annual epidemics and occasional pandemics, influenza viruses cause acute respiratory illnesses in infected humans. Vaccines and antiviral drugs are two main arsenals available for a fight against influenza viruses. However, vaccines often exhibit a limited efficacy in high risk populations, and antiviral drugs are always concerned for mutations, which confer viral resistance. Here we review current advances and knowledge in relation to the usage of antiviral drugs as a prophylactic or therapeutic and the mechanism of resistant variants mainly against the neuraminidase inhibitors. Comprehensive understanding of the resistant mechanism will pave a road for developing new antivirals and/or finding medical or natural alternatives inducing less frequent resistance, and application of combination therapy using two or three different kinds of antivirals can suggest a useful medical intervention against both of seasonal and highly pathogenic influenza viruses including resistant variants. In this review, we provide insights of antiviral drugs for the control and prevention of influenza viruses.