• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.3
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• pp.279-282
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• 2022

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.265-269
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• 2020

Korea has failed to respond to the Middle East respiratory syndrome of 2015 and the early phase of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) of 2020. This is due to the structural problems of the Ministry of Health and Welfare that has been more increased manpower and budgets of the welfare part relative to those of the health part, and the ministers were appointed welfare experts, not health experts. In 21 (56.8%) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, the Ministry of Health operates independently, and these countries have been relatively well coping with COVID-19. The importance of the Korean health sector is increasing even further. Korea faces on the emerging infectious diseases, chronic infectious diseases such as tuberculosis that has been being a huge burden, and rapidly increasing non-communicable diseases, suicide and mental disorders, and some diseases due to fine dust and climate change. In addition, the rapid advancement of the aging society, the entry of an era of ultra-low fertility and low-economic growth, and the unification of the Korean peninsula are calling for a health policy reform. Therefore, the Ministry of Health should be established and systematically responsible for health policy, disease policy, medical policy, and medical security policy. Ministry of Health will be the control tower for K-Disease Control, K-Bio, and K-Health.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.1376-1384
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• 2024

Viral infectious diseases have always been a threat to human survival and quality of life, impeding the stability and progress of human society. As such, researchers have persistently focused on developing highly efficient, low-toxicity antiviral drugs, whether for acute or chronic infectious diseases. This article presents a comprehensive review of the design concepts behind virus-targeted drugs, examined through the lens of antiviral drug mechanisms. The intention is to provide a reference for the development of new, virus-targeted antiviral drugs and guide their clinical usage.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.39-43
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• 2020

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is a rare idiopathic inflammatory bone disease characterized by pain and swelling without any detectable infectious factors, the main feature is mild to moderate bone pain. CRMO commonly develops in the metaphyses of long bones and clavicles in children or adolescents. Chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) is the isolated form of CRMO and the etiology of CNO is still unclear. This report describes a rare case of CNO of the mandible in an 8-year-old female patient. On the basis of clinical, histological, and radiological findings, CNO was diagnosed. The patient was asymptomatic after surgical curettage followed by antibiotic therapy. Cone beam CT scan revealed a nearly completed bone healing after three months.

• Infection and chemotherapy
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.287-300
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• 2018

Pneumonia is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in old adults. The incidence and etiologic distribution of community-acquired pneumonia is variable both geographically and temporally, and epidemiology might evolve with the change of population characteristics and vaccine uptake rates. With the increasing prevalence of chronic medical conditions, a wide spectrum of healthcare-associated pneumonia could also affect the epidemiology of community-acquired pneumonia. Here, we provide an overview of the epidemiological changes associated with community-acquired pneumonia over the decades since pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.194-197
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• 2010

A 14-year-old gelded dressage horse weighing 500 kg was presented to the Equine Medical Center of the Seoul Racecourse of Korea Racing Authority (KRA) due to coughing and mucopurulent nasal discharge. The horse was initiated with empirical antibiotic in the first place. However, the clinical signs did not improve but were rather exacerbated even after 3 weeks of therapy. Extensive diagnostic procedures including transtracheal wash (TTW) fluid cytology were undertaken. The localized wheezes and crackles were auscultated and an increase in the amount of mucopurulent exudate in trachea was observed at endoscopy. Infiltration of neutrophils was observed in the TTW fluid cytology implying chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Therefore, the systemic glucocorticoid therapy was to be given for 3 weeks with improved ventilation provided at the same time. The respiratory symptoms started to improve in 7 days of therapy and were fully resolved by when the therapy was terminated. The horse is clinically normal now and being monitored for development of any signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.53-58
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• 2014

Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is an inherited immunodeficient disease characterized by recurrent infections and granuloma formation. Granulomatous obstruction of esophagus is one of the rare complications of CGD. The use of steroids and antimicrobials for esophageal obstruction by granuloma in CGD patients has been controversial due to the possibility of concomitant inapparent infection. We report a case of esophageal obstruction in an 8-year-old CGD patient showing the poor response to antibiotics therapy. However, dramatic improvement of symptoms and radiologic findings of esophageal obstruction were achieved after steroid therapy. One month after discontinuation of steroid, esophageal obstruction recurred and the patient was re-treated with steroid. After that time, he experienced one more recurrence of esophageal obstruction. This symptom subsided after antibiotics therapy without steroid and he has been followed up to the present without further relapse.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.244-249
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• 2022

Background: Chronic infectious, inflammatory, or neoplastic disorders are associated with anemia of chronic disease. Chronic inflammatory diseases such as periodontitis may contribute to masked anemia, especially in smokers. This study was aimed at verifying and comparing the efficacy of nonsurgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) for improving anemia among chronic periodontitis patients with and without the habit of smoking. Methods: Thirty systemically healthy individuals with chronic periodontitis were divided into two groups of 15 each, smokers (group A) and nonsmokers (group B). The groups were compared based on hematological parameters such as serum erythropoietin (SE) and serum ferritin (SF) levels at baseline and 3 months after NSPT for anemia evaluation. Results: The baseline SE levels in groups A and B were 11.84 and 15.19 mIU/mL (p=0.031), respectively; the corresponding levels at 3 months after NSPT were 13.00 and 17.74 mIU/mL (p=0.022). The baseline SF levels in groups A and B were 95.49 and 44.86 ng/mL (p=0.018), respectively; the corresponding levels at 3 months after NSPT were 77.06 and 39.05 ng/mL (p=0.009). Group B showed a significant increase and decrease in the SE and SF levels, respectively, at 3 months after NSPT (p=0.035 and p=0.039, respectively), whereas group A showed insignificant changes (p=0.253 and p=0.618, respectively). Conclusion: NSPT led to an improvement in anemia among chronic periodontitis patients. However, the improvement is less in smokers compared to that in nonsmokers. Furthermore, SF and SE levels might serve as effective biomarkers for assessing anemia in smokers and nonsmokers with chronic periodontitis.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.323-326
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• 1997

Kimura's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease which often presents as a tumor like swelling in the head and neck region. This lesion is benign but it may easily be mistaken for a malignant tumor. Kimura's disease has been confused with angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia(ALHE). The cause is unknown, but theories include autoimmune, allergic, neoplastic, and infectious cause by insect bites and parasites. The treatment of choice is surgical removal. Recently we experienced a case of Kimura's disease occuring in the both side of posterior neck triangle area of a 37 year old male patient who was treated with surgical excision and systemic corticosteroid administration.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.350-355
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• 2018

Background: The complication rate of fungal disease is higher among patients with hematological malignancies. We investigated the clinicobacteriological outcomes of resected pulmonary fungal infections complicating hematological malignancies. Methods: Between 2001 and 2017, 21 patients with pulmonary fungal infections complicating hematological malignancies underwent resection, and their clinical records and survival were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The median age of the patients was 47 years, and 13 were male. The histological diagnoses were pulmonary aspergillosis (19 cases), mucormycosis (1 case), and cryptococcosis (1 case). The indications for surgery were resistance to antifungal therapy and the necessity of surgery before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in 13 and 8 cases, respectively. The diagnoses of the hematological malignancies were acute myelogenous leukemia (10 cases), acute lymphocytic leukemia (5 cases), myelodysplastic syndrome (3 cases), and chronic myelogenous leukemia, malignant lymphoma, and extramedullary plasmacytoma (1 case each). The surgical procedures were partial resection (11 cases), segmentectomy (5 cases), lobectomy (4 cases), and cavernostomy (1 case). The size of the lesions was 0.9-8.5 cm. Fourteen cases had cavitation. There were no surgical-related deaths or fungal progression. Conclusion: Pulmonary fungal infections are resistant to treatments for hematological malignancies. Since the treatment of the underlying disease is extended and these infections often recur and are exacerbated, surgery should be considered when possible.