Molecular and phylogenetic analyses of influenza B viruses isolated from pediatric inpatients in South Korea during the 2011-2012 winter season.

Influenza B virus remains a major cause of respiratory diseases worldwide. Because of limited epidemiological and genetic data, the local and global transmission patterns of influenza B virus are not fully understood. Here we report the molecular and phylogenetic characterization of 163 influenza B virus isolates from pediatric inpatients with influenza-like illness in the winter of 2011-2012 in South Korea. Analysis of haemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of the influenza B isolates revealed that both B/Victoria (62 %) and B/Yamagata lineages (38 %) co-circulated during that influenza season, and a considerable number of the isolates carried several amino acid substitutions in the four major antigenic epitopes of their haemagglutinin protein.

Discovery of non-LBD inhibitor for androgen receptor by structure-guide design.

In this study, we synthesized the BF-3 binding small molecules, a series of pyridazinone-based compounds, as a novel class of non-LBP antiandrogens for treating prostate cancer by inhibiting androgen receptor. The new class compound was discovered to inhibitor the viability of AR-dependent human prostate LNCap cells and AR activity combining with the computational method. It showed a good physicochemical and PK property.

Surveillance of avian influenza viruses from 2014 to 2018 in South Korea.

Surveillance of influenza A viruses (IAVs) among migratory waterfowl is a first step in understanding the ecology, biology, and pathogenicity of IAVs. As part of the nationwide surveillance effort for IAVs in fowl in South Korea, we collected environmental fecal samples in different migratory bird stopover sites in South Korea during the winter seasons within November 2014 through January 2018. We collected a total of 6758 fecal samples, 75 of which were positive for IAV (1.11% positivity). Prevalence of IAVs varied per site and per year. Based on sequencing, the most prevalent hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes were H1, H6, and H5, and the most prevalent neuraminidase (NA) subtypes were N1, N3, and N2. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the genes we isolated clustered with reported isolates collected from other locations along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. All the H5 and H7 isolates collected in this study were of low pathogenicity. None of the N1 and N2 genes carried amino acid markers of resistance against NA inhibitors. The winter 2016-2017 subset were primarily borne by migratory geese (Anser spp.). These results suggest that majority of the IAVs circulating among migratory wild fowl in South Korea in 2014-2018 were of low pathogenicity.

Surveillance of avian influenza viruses from 2009 to 2013 in South Korea.

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are carried by wild migratory waterfowl across migratory flyways. To determine the strains of circulating AIVs that may pose a risk to poultry and humans, regular surveillance studies must be performed. Here, we report the surveillance of circulating AIVs in South Korea during the winter seasons of 2009-2013. A total of 126 AIVs were isolated from 7942 fecal samples from wild migratory birds, with a total isolation rate of 1.59%. H1‒H7 and H9‒H11 hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes, and N1‒N3, N5, and N7‒N9 neuraminidase (NA) subtypes were successfully isolated, with H6 and N2 as the most predominant HA and NA subtypes, respectively. Sequence identity search showed that the HA and NA genes of the isolates were highly similar to those of low-pathogenicity influenza strains from the East Asian-Australasian flyway. No match was found for the HA genes of high-pathogenicity influenza strains. Thus, the AIV strains circulating in wild migratory birds from 2009 to 2013 in South Korea likely had low pathogenicity. Continuous surveillance studies such as this one must be performed to identify potential precursors of influenza viruses that may threaten animal and human health.