Influenza A is a respiratory virus that causes high infection rates and mortality worldwide, particularly affecting high-risk groups such as children, older adults, and individuals with chronic conditions. This retrospective study was conducted at a single tertiary hospital in Korea to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of influenza A infections from 2007 to 2024, focusing on age, sex, and seasonal variations. Using multiplex real-time PCR data from 23,284 individuals, we found that the overall positivity rate for influenza A was 5.6%, with seasonal fluctuations showing the highest rate in winter (14.0%) and the lowest in summer (0.5%). Age-based analysis revealed significantly higher positivity rates in older adults (7.9%) and adults (7.6%) than in children (5.0%) and infants (3.1%). No significant differences were observed in positivity rates between sexes (male: 5.43%, female: 5.76%, p = 0.428). These findings provide essential insights into the regional and seasonal patterns of influenza A, emphasizing the importance of targeted vaccination strategies, adaptive public health interventions, and continuous surveillance for effective prevention and outbreak control management.

HSV-1 is associated with oral lesions and non-sexual transmission; HSV-2 is primarily transmitted through sexual contact and causes genital infections. Understanding the epidemiological dynamics of both viruses is essential for guiding targeted public-health responses. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 177,599 clinical specimens collected between September 2018 and December 2022 from patients with symptoms suggestive of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at healthcare institutions across South Korea. HSV-1 and HSV-2 were identified using a real-time PCR assay; positivity rates were stratified by age, sex, specimen type, and year of testing. The overall positivity rate was 0.26% for HSV-1 and 1.60% for HSV-2. HSV-1 was most prevalent among individuals aged <19 years; HSV-2 showed the highest positivity in females aged 20–29 years, declining with age thereafter. HSV-2 positivity was significantly higher in females than in males. A significant decline in HSV-2 positivity was observed over the 5-year study period, while HSV-1 positivity remained stable. This nationwide PCR-based study reveals distinct age- and sex-related epidemiological patterns of HSV-1 and HSV-2. The findings support the need for age-specific and gender-specific STI screening strategies and health education programs. The declining trend in HSV-2 infection may reflect the impact of recent public-health initiatives.

While natural muds are widely used in traditional balneotherapy and dermatological applications, the cellular basis of their redox-related effects remains insufficiently defined. In this study, we evaluated the effects of a mineral-rich mud extract on L929 fibroblasts and RAW 264.7 macrophages. This study was designed as an initial in vitro exploratory investigation to evaluate the cellular responses induced by a complex mud-derived material containing multiple inorganic components under standardized extract conditions. The mud extract showed no overt cytotoxicity up to 1000 μg/mL under the tested conditions. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels remained near baseline across the measured time points, with limited cell type-dependent variation. In parallel, antioxidant-related responses were observed primarily in RAW 264.7 cells, including a transient early increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD)-associated activity and subsequent increases in catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis further showed dose-dependent upregulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) transcripts, particularly in RAW 264.7 cells. Collectively, these findings suggest that the mud extract is associated with coordinated antioxidant-related responses under non-cytotoxic conditions. However, because the present study was conducted in two murine cell lines and relied partly on assay systems potentially susceptible to matrix effects, the results should be interpreted as supportive of redox-associated modulation rather than definitive proof of a therapeutic mechanism. Furthermore, these findings should be interpreted as preliminary evidence obtained from a standardized aqueous extract system and not as definitive proof of component-specific mechanisms or direct applicability.