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Kyung Hwa Park

Korea University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Kyung Hwa Park's research lab focuses on infectious diseases and cancer biology, with a particular emphasis on bacterial pathogenesis, antimicrobial resistance, and the molecular mechanisms underlying early carcinogenesis. The lab investigates clinically relevant pathogens such as *Staphylococcus aureus* and *Staphylococcus epidermidis*, utilizing whole-genome sequencing and animal models to understand transmission dynamics and develop novel therapeutic strategies. In oncology, the lab explores transcription factors like Oct4 and Nanog in pancreatic cancer initiation, highlighting their potential as early diagnostic markers. The research integrates molecular microbiology, translational medicine, and host-pathogen interactions to address significant clinical challenges.

bacterial pathogenesisantimicrobial resistancepancreatic cancerwhole-genome sequencinginfection models

Research Overview

Papers
192
Total Citations
3,106
Papers (5y)
38
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
38total
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Citations per year (5y)
250total
20222023202420252026

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|137 citations·2010
Oct4 and Nanog Expression Is Associated With Early Stages of Pancreatic Carcinogenesis
Jing Wen, Jeong Youp Park, Kyung Hwa Park, Hye Won Chung, Seungmin Bang, Seung Woo Park, Si Young Song
SJR Q2PancreasOA

The strong expression of Oct4 and Nanog in metaplastic ducts and Oct4 expression preceding Ras mutation suggests that these homeobox transcription factors are associated with the early stage of pancreatic cancer carcinogenesis and may play an important role in that process.

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
2
Article|68 citations·2017
Molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia in a single large Minnesota medical center in 2015 as assessed using MLST, core genome MLST and spa typing
Kyung Hwa Park, Kerryl E. Greenwood‐Quaintance, James R. Uhl, Scott A. Cunningham, Nicholas Chia, Patricio Jeraldo, Priya Sampathkumar, Heidi Nelson, Robin Patel
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of bacteremia in hospitalized patients. Whether or not S. aureus bacteremia (SAB) is associated with clonality, implicating potential nosocomial transmission, has not, however, been investigated. Herein, we examined the epidemiology of SAB using whole genome sequencing (WGS). 152 SAB isolates collected over the course of 2015 at a single large Minnesota medical center were studied. Staphylococcus protein A (spa) typing was performed by PCR/Sanger sequenci

Infectious DiseasesMedicine
3
Article|42 citations·2018
Comparison of pyogenic postoperative and native vertebral osteomyelitis
Uh Jin Kim, Ji Yun Bae, Seong Eun Kim, Chung-Jong Kim, Seung‐Ji Kang, Hee‐Chang Jang, Sook‐In Jung, Kyoung‐Ho Song, Eu Suk Kim, Hong Bin Kim, Wan Beom Park, Nam Joong Kim
SJR Q1The Spine Journal
SurgeryMedicine
4
Article|35 citations·2013
Diagnostic Use of Serum Ferritin Levels to Differentiate Infectious and Noninfectious Diseases in Patients with Fever of Unknown Origin
Seong Eun Kim, Uh Jin Kim, Mi Ok Jang, Seung‐Ji Kang, Hee‐Chang Jang, Sook‐In Jung, Shin Seok Lee, Kyung Hwa Park
Disease MarkersOA

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we determined whether serum ferritin levels could be used to differentiate between fever of unknown origin (FUO) caused by infectious and noninfectious diseases. METHODS: FUO patients were hospitalized at Chonnam National University Hospital between January, 2005 and December, 2011. According to the final diagnoses, five causes were identified, including infectious diseases, hematologic diseases, noninfectious inflammatory diseases, miscellaneous and undiagnosed. RES

Emergency MedicineMedicine
5
Article|34 citations·2011
Experience with Extrarenal Manifestations of Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome in a Tertiary Care Hospital in South Korea
Kyung Hwa Park, Yong Un Kang, Seung‐Ji Kang, Young-Sun Jung, Hee‐Chang Jang, Sook‐In Jung
SJR Q2American Journal of Tropical Medicine and HygieneOA

Reports on the clinical entity of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) have focused on acute renal failure. Data on the extrarenal manifestations are limited primarily to case reports. In this study, protean extrarenal manifestations involving the major organs occurred in one-third of patients with HFRS during various stages (i.e., febrile phase through diuretic phase). Pancreatobiliary manifestations and major bleeding occurred in 11% and 10% of patients, respectively. Cardiovascular an

Infectious DiseasesMedicine
6
Article|34 citations·2008
Acute Human Immunodeficiency Virus Syndrome Presenting with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
Kyung Hwa Park, Ho-Sung Yu, Sook‐In Jung, Dong-Hyeon Shin, Jong-Hee Shin
SJR Q2Yonsei Medical JournalOA

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) has been described in patients with advanced stages of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, but rarely occurs during the seroconversion stage of acute HIV infection. We report a case of acute HIV syndrome that presented with virus-associated HLH. The patient recovered spontaneously without any immunomodulating therapy. This case suggests that acute HIV infection should be included in the differential diagnosis of HLH and indicates that HLH associ

HematologyMedicine
7
Article|31 citations·2016
Activity of Tedizolid in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis Experimental Foreign Body-Associated Osteomyelitis
Kyung Hwa Park, Kerryl E. Greenwood‐Quaintance, Audrey N. Schuetz, Jayawant N. Mandrekar, Robin Patel
SJR Q1Antimicrobial Agents and ChemotherapyOA

ABSTRACT We developed a rat model of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) foreign body-associated osteomyelitis and used it to compare tedizolid alone and in combination with rifampin against rifampin alone, vancomycin plus rifampin, and vancomycin alone. A clinical strain of MRSE was inoculated into the proximal tibia, and a stainless steel wire with a precolonized MRSE biofilm was implanted. Following a 1-week infection period, 92 rats received either no treatment ( n = 17)

SurgeryMedicine
8
Article|30 citations·2014
Factors associated with ciprofloxacin- and cefotaxime-resistant Escherichia coli in women with acute pyelonephritis in the emergency department
Kyung Hwa Park, Won Sup Oh, Eu Suk Kim, Sang‐Won Park, Jian Hur, Young Keun Kim, Chisook Moon, Jae Hoon Lee, Chang‐Seop Lee, Baek-Nam Kim
SJR Q1International Journal of Infectious DiseasesOA

BACKGROUND: High rates of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolated from patients with urinary tract infections have been reported worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for resistance to ciprofloxacin (CIP) and cefotaxime (CTX) in E. coli isolated from patients with acute pyelonephritis (APN). METHODS: We prospectively identified women over 18 y of age who visited the emergency department of one of 10 hospitals with APN and whose urine culture grew E. coli. Th

EpidemiologyMedicine
9
Article|21 citations·2019
Outcomes of Third-Generation Cephalosporin Plus Ciprofloxacin or Doxycycline Therapy in Patients with Vibrio vulnificus Septicemia: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis
Seong Eun Kim, Sung Un Shin, Tae Hoon Oh, Uh Jin Kim, Kalifa Sanneh Darboe, Seung‐Ji Kang, Hee‐Chang Jang, Sook‐In Jung, Hee‐Young Shin, Kyung Hwa Park
SJR Q1PLoS neglected tropical diseasesOA

Our data suggest that the outcome of TGC plus ciprofloxacin therapy was comparable to that of TGC plus doxycycline therapy in patients with V. vulnificus septicemia.

EndocrinologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
10
Article|18 citations·2012
Surgical Inflammation Induces Hepcidin Production after Abdominal Surgery
Kyung Hwa Park, Tokihiko Sawada, Takayuki Kosuge, Junji Kita, Mitsugi Shimoda, N Tomosugi, Keiichi Kubota
SJR Q1World Journal of Surgery

BACKGROUND: Hepcidin, a key regulator of iron homeostasis, is also a marker of acute inflammation. In the present study we investigated the changes in the serum hepcidin level and correlations between hepcidin and other markers of acute inflammation during the perioperative period in patients after abdominal surgery. METHODS: Serum hepcidin, hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Ht), white blood cell (WBC) count, frequency of neutrophils, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured preoperatively (Pre), a

HematologyMedicine
11
Article|13 citations·2019
Lack of correlation of virulence gene profiles of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia isolates with mortality
Kyung Hwa Park, Kerryl E. Greenwood‐Quaintance, Scott A. Cunningham, Govindarajan Rajagopalan, Nicholas Chia, Patricio Jeraldo, Jayawant N. Mandrekar, Robin Patel
SJR Q2Microbial Pathogenesis
Infectious DiseasesMedicine
12
Article|12 citations·2021
Rifamycin resistance, rpoB gene mutation and clinical outcomes of Staphylococcus species isolates from prosthetic joint infections in Republic of Korea
Yoonjung Lee, Soo Sung Kim, Su‐Mi Choi, Chan-Joong Bae, Tae Hoon Oh, Seong Eun Kim, Uh Jin Kim, Seung‐Ji Kang, Sook‐In Jung, Kyung Hwa Park
SJR Q2Journal of Global Antimicrobial ResistanceOA

Rifamycins other than rifampicin show promising antistaphylococcal activity, including antibiofilm activity. Rifamycin-resistant staphylococci exhibit rpoB gene mutations.

Infectious DiseasesMedicine
13
Article|7 citations·2015
In vitro activity of ceftaroline against staphylococci from prosthetic joint infection
Kyung Hwa Park, Kerryl E. Greenwood‐Quaintance, Robin Patel
SJR Q2Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease
Infectious DiseasesMedicine
14
Article|7 citations·2023
An innovative charge‐based extracellular vesicle isolation method for highly efficient extraction of EV‐miRNAs from liquid samples: miRQuick
Junsoo Park, Minju Bae, Hyeonah Seong, Jin Hwa Hong, Su Jin Kang, Kyung Hwa Park, Sehyun Shin
SJR Q2Journal of Extracellular BiologyOA

Extracellular vesicle-derived microRNAs (EV-miRNAs) are promising biomarkers for early cancer diagnosis. However, existing EV-miRNA extraction technologies have a complex two-step process that results in low extraction efficiency and inconsistent results. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a new single-step extraction method, called miRQuick, for efficient and high-recovery extraction of EV-miRNAs from samples. The miRQuick method involves adding positively charged substances to the sample

Molecular BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
15
Article|7 citations·2000
Six Collembolan Species (Insecta) New to Korea Including Two species from Ant Nests
Kyung Hwa Park, Byung Hoon Lee
Animal Systematics Evolution and DiversityOA

남한의 수 개 지역에서 채집한 3과 8종의 톡토기 가운데 6종 (Oudemansia esakii (Kinoshita, 1932), Axelsonia littoralis (Moniez. 1890), Sinella (S. str.) straminea (Folsom. 1899), Sinella (S. str.) coeca (Schott, 1899), Entomobrya marginata (Tullberg, 1871), Willowsia bimaculata (Borner, 1909))이 한국 미기록종으로 판명되어 보고한다. 이 중 Oudemansia esakii, Axelsonia littoralis와 Entomobrya marginata 3종은 호염성이고, Sinella straminea와 Sinella coeca는 개미집에서 채집되었다. Sinella속의 2종은 한반도에서 개미집으로부터 채집된 톡토기의 첫 보고이다. 본 조사 결과 한국산 톡토기는 모두 10과 204종에 이른다. 【Thi

Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and SystematicsAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Research Areas

Infectious DiseasesEpidemiologySurgeryOncologyElectrical and Electronic EngineeringMolecular Biology

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