Man-sung Park

We have generated a recombinant Newcastle disease virus (NDV) that expresses the green fluorescence protein (GFP) in infected chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs). This virus is interferon (IFN) sensitive, and pretreatment of cells with chicken alpha/beta IFN (IFN-alpha/beta) completely blocks viral GFP expression. Prior transfection of plasmid DNA induces an IFN response in CEFs and blocks NDV-GFP replication. However, transfection of known inhibitors of the IFN-alpha/beta system, including the in

It has been demonstrated that the V protein of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) functions as an alpha/beta interferon (IFN-alpha/beta) antagonist (M. S. Park, M. L. Shaw, J. Muñoz-Jordan, J. F. Cros, T. Nakaya, N. Bouvier, P. Palese, A. García-Sastre, and C. F. Basler, J. Virol. 77:1501-1511, 2003). We now show that the NDV V protein plays an important role in host range restriction. In order to study V functions in vivo, recombinant NDV (rNDV) mutants, defective in the expression of the V protein,

Avian influenza viruses of the H5 and H7 hemagglutinin subtypes, and Newcastle disease virus (NDV), are important pathogens in poultry worldwide. Specifically, the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus is a particular threat because it has now occurred in more than 40 countries on several continents. Inasmuch as most chickens worldwide are vaccinated with a live NDV vaccine, we embarked on the development of vaccine prototypes that would have dual specificity and would allow a single immu

In this cohort study, although the initial genomic viral load was similar between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, fully vaccinated individuals had a shorter duration of viable viral shedding and a lower secondary attack rate than partially vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals. Data from this study provide important evidence that despite the possibility of breakthrough infections, COVID-19 vaccinations remain critically useful for controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2.

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 conducte

It has been noticed that neuraminidase (NA) stalk truncation has arisen from evolutionary adaptation of avian influenza A viruses (IAVs) from wild aquatic birds to domestic poultry. We identified this molecular alteration after the adaptation of a 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus (pH1N1) in BALB/c mice. The mouse-adapted pH1N1 lost its eight consecutive amino acids including one potential N-linked glycosite from the NA stalk region. To explore the relationship of NA stalk truncation or deglycosylation w

Herbal medicine has been used in the orient for thousands of years to treat large and small ailments, including microbial infections. Although there are treatments for influenza virus infection, there is no treatment for drug-resistant viruses. It is time that we explored and exploited the multi-component nature of herbal extracts as multi-drug combination therapies. Here, we present data on the anti-influenza virus effect of a medicinal mushroom, Phellinus igniarius. The P. igniarius water extr

Multiple vaccines can be mixed into a single combination to be a single product. However, combination vaccines have problems of complexity. In this study, microneedles were utilized in a compartmental microneedle array (CMA) to deliver two influenza vaccine strains without mixing. In this study, the CMA had two compartments, and two rectangular structures were attached to each end of the array to enable integration of the compartments with the coating equipment. The coating solution, which conta

Abstract Since the first human case was reported in Wuhan Province, China in December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has caused millions of human infections in more than 200 countries worldwide with an approximately 4.01% case-fatality rate (as of 27 July, 2020; based on a WHO situation report), and COVID-19 pandemic has paralyzed our global community. Even though a few candidate drugs, such as remdesivir (a broad antiviral prodrug) and hydroxychloroquine, have been investigated in human clinical trials, thei

We conducted a prospective cohort study at a community facility designated for the isolation of individuals with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 between 10 January and 22 February 2021 to investigate the relationship of viral shedding with symptom changes of COVID-19. In total, 89 COVID-19 adult patients (12 asymptomatic, 16 presymptomatic, 61 symptomatic) were enrolled. Symptom scores, the genomic RNA and subgenomic RNA of SARS-CoV-2 from saliva samples with a cell culture were measured. Asymptom

Antiviral drugs are being used for therapeutic purposes against influenza illness in humans. However, antiviral-resistant variants often nullify the effectiveness of antivirals. Combined medications, as seen in the treatment of cancers and other infectious diseases, have been suggested as an option for the control of antiviral-resistant influenza viruses. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic value of combination therapy against oseltamivir-resistant 2009 pandemic influenza H1N1 virus infection in

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of using an ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV LED) robot for the terminal decontamination of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient rooms. METHODS: We assessed the presence of viral RNA in samples from environmental surfaces before and after UV LED irradiation in COVID-19 patient rooms after patient discharge. RESULTS: We analyzed 216 environmental samples from 17 rooms: 2 from airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIRs) in the intensive care unit