https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/458 2026-03-10T19:11:42Z https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/267270 Title: Novel human coronavirus in an infant patient with pneumonia, Republic of Korea Authors: Park, Kyungmin; Shin, Minsoo; Natasha, Augustine; Kim, Jongwoo; Noh, Juyoung; Kim, Seong-Gyu; Kim, Bohyeon; Park, Jieun; Seo, Ye-rin; Cho, Hee-Kyung; Byun, Kwan Soo; Kim, Ji Hoon; Lee, Young-Sun; Shim, Jung Ok; Kim, Won-Keun; Song, Jin-Won Abstract: Coronaviruses (CoVs) pose a significant threat to public health, causing a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations and outcomes. Beyond precipitating global outbreaks, Human CoVs (HCoVs) are frequently found among patients with respiratory infections. To date, limited attention has been directed towards alphacoronaviruses due to their low prevalence and fatality rates. Nasal swab and serum samples were collected from a paediatric patient, and an epidemiological survey was conducted. Retrospective surveillance investigated the molecular prevalence of CoV in 880 rodents collected in the Republic of Korea (ROK) from 2018 to 2022. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and phylogenetic analyses characterized the novel HCoV and closely related CoVs harboured by Apodemus spp. On 15 December 2022, a 103-day-old infant was admitted with fever, cough, sputum production, and rhinorrhea, diagnosed with human parainfluenza virus 1 (HPIV-1) and rhinovirus co-infection. Elevated AST/ALT levels indicated transient liver dysfunction on the fourth day of hospitalization. Metagenomic NGS (mNGS) identified a novel HCoV in nasal swab and serum samples. Retrospective rodent surveillance and phylogenetic analyses showed the novel HCoV was closely related to alphacoronaviruses carried by Apodemus spp. in the ROK and China. This case highlights the potential of mNGS to identify emerging pathogens and raises awareness of possible extra-respiratory manifestations, such as transient liver dysfunction, associated with novel HCoVs. While the liver injury in this case may be attributable to the novel HCoV, further research is necessary to elucidate its clinical significance, epidemiological prevalence, and zoonotic origins. 2025-12-31T00:00:00Z https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/267847 Title: Impact of Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Colonization on Clinical Characteristics, Antibiotic Treatment, and Clinical Outcomes of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Authors: Sim, Jae Kyeom; Min, Kyung Hoon; Yoo, Kwang Ha; Jeon, Kyeongman; Chang, Youjin; Hong, Sang-Bum; Baek, Ae-Rin; Park, Hye Kyeong; Moon, Jae Young; Lee, Hyun-Kyung; Cho, Woo Hyun; Kim, Jin Hyoung; Lee, Heung Bum; Kim, Changhwan; Bae, Soohyun; Gil, Hyun-Il; Shin, Beomsu; Oh, Jee Youn; Korean HAP VAP Study Grp Abstract: PurposeTo determine effects of colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) in general wards on characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP).MethodsThis was a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients with HAP admitted to 16 tertiary or university hospitals in Korea from July 2019 to December 2019. From the entire cohort, patients who developed pneumonia in general wards with known colonization status before the onset of pneumonia were included in this study. Patients were categorized into a colonization group and a non-colonization group according to MDRB colonization. Patients of the two groups were then compared.ResultsAmong a total of 400 patients, 63 were in the MDRB colonization group. HAP caused by MDR-Staphylococcus aureus or MDR-Pseudomonas aeruginosa was more common in the colonization group than in the non-colonization group (24.4% vs. 8.1%, P = 0.006 or 20.0% vs. 5.4%, P = 0.013, respectively). Colonization with certain bacteria was correlated with subsequent infection with the same bacteria. Carbapenem use (36.5% vs. 24.3%, P = 0.044) and appropriateness of initial antibiotics (50.8% vs. 12.8%) were higher in the colonization group than in the non-colonization group. Although in-hospital mortality was similar in the two groups (34.9% vs. 32.9%, P = 0.759), hospital length of stay was longer (38 days vs. 31 days, P = 0.009) and rate of discharge to home was lower (34.1% vs 59.7%, P = 0.002) in the colonization group.ConclusionsColonization with MDRB might influence characteristics and treatment of HAP. However, prognosis of HAP was not associated with MDRB colonization. 2025-12-01T00:00:00Z https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/268500 Title: Efficacy and Safety of Taltirelin Hydrate in Patients With Ataxia Due to Spinocerebellar Degeneration Authors: Cho, Jin Whan; Lee, Jee-Young; Kim, Han-Joon; Kim, Joong-Seok; Park, Kun-Woo; Choi, Seong-Min; Lyoo, Chul Hyoung; Koh, Seong-Beom Abstract: Objective<br /> We conducted this study to assess the efficacy and safety of taltirelin hydrate (TH) in patients with ataxia due to spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD).<br /> Methods<br /> Patients were randomly assigned to either the taltirelin group (5 mg orally, twice daily) or the control group. The primary endpoint was the change in the Korean version of the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (K-SARA) score at 24 weeks. The secondary endpoints included changes in the K-SARA score at 4 and 12 weeks as well as the Clinical Global Impression Scale, the five-level version of the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire, the Tinetti balance test, and gait analysis at 4, 12, and 24 weeks.<br /> Results<br /> A total of 149 patients (hereditary:nonhereditary=86:63) were enrolled. There were significant differences in the change in the K-SARA score at 24 weeks from baseline between the taltirelin group and the control group (-0.51 +/- 2.79 versus 0.36 +/- 2.62, respectively; p=0.0321). For the K-SARA items, the taltirelin group had significantly lower "Stance" and "Speech disturbance" subscores than the control group (-0.04 +/- 0.89 versus 0.23 +/- 0.79 and -0.07 +/- 0.74 versus 0.18 +/- 0.67; p=0.0270 and 0.0130, respectively). However, there were no significant differences in changes in other secondary efficacy outcome measures at 24 weeks from baseline between the two treatment arms (p>0.05).<br /> Conclusion<br /> Clinicians might consider the use of TH in the treatment of patients with ataxia due to SCD. 2025-10-21T00:00:00Z https://scholar.korea.ac.kr/handle/2021.sw.korea/269505 Title: Increased risk of suicide among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A nationwide cohort study in Korea Authors: Kim, Sang Hyuk; Moon, Ji-Yong; Kim, Taehee; Jung, Jin-Hyung; Han, Kyungdo; Min, Kyung Hoon; Lee, Hyun Abstract: Background: Previous studies have established that individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have an increased risk of suicidal behaviors. However, it is uncertain which subgroups of individuals with COPD are at higher risk of suicide. Method: We analyzed data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service. The exposure was COPD, and the outcome was death by suicide. Participants were followed until their date of death by suicide, the censoring date, or December 31, 2021, whichever came first. A Fine-Gray proportional hazards model for subdistribution was used to determine the associations between COPD and death by suicide. Results: During a median follow-up of 11.3 years (interquartile range, 11.1-11.6 years), individuals with COPD had an increased risk of death by suicide compared to those without (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [aSHR] = 1.20, 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 1.08-1.32). When stratified by the presence or absence of potential risk factors and COPD, the risk of suicide was highest in the COPD population with current smoking habits >= 20 PY (aSHR = 1.71, 95 % CI = 1.39-2.12), depression (aSHR = 2.46, 95 % CI = 1.97-3.08), and anxiety (aSHR = 2.71, 95 % CI = 1.87-3.92) compared to their corresponding reference groups (non-COPD population without the corresponding potential risk factors). Conclusions: COPD increased the risk of death by suicide. This risk was particularly pronounced when current heavy smoking habits, depression, and anxiety coexisted with COPD. 2025-07-15T00:00:00Z