• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.161-168
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• 1997

The present study was designed to estimate the seroprevalence of NLVs among diarrheagenic children and in healthy adults in Seoul and its vicinity with the use of an EIA and an Western blot (WB) based on recombinant Norwalk virus capsid protein (rNV) and crude virus preparations as antigen. Seroconversion was observed in 34 (83%) of 41 tested using the EIA and in 21 (54%) of 39 using the WB, suggesting that the NLVs with epitopes common to rNV are prevalent in Seoul area. Diarrheal children who were known to have been infected with several other strains of the NLVs showed no significant antibody response to the rNV. Infection with rNV occurred earlier in life: primary infections with rNV were common before the age of 6 months and over 91 % of children had evidence of infection by that age by the EIA. Since the amount of the NLV antigens available for seroepidemiologic surveys is limited, we tried to detect NLV antibody by using crude virus preparations as antigen. One crude virus preparation of a child whose stool yielded genetically distinct NLV revealed the presence of the plural number of bands upon SDS-PAGE, but precipitated only one band (62 kDa) after the WB with a serum (collected 10 days after the onset of symptoms) of another diarrheal child. The WB assay we present in this report revealed that the NLVs are prevalent among Korean population and that the sera contained antibody to a single major structural protein, with molecular sizes of 58 to 62 kDa, compatible with the sizes reported for the Norwalk virus and Snow Mountain agent proteins, respectively. When the results of the WB were compared with those obtained by the EIA, the EIA antibody assay was sensitive enough to detect an antibody rise of as much as 4096-fold but not as specific as the WB. The WB assay presented in this paper will provide a powerful tool to elucidate not only antigenic structures of the NL Vs but also seroepidemiology of the NLV infection. The availability of an unlimited source of antigen will enable a large scale serologic studies that will greatly increase our understanding of the role of NLVs in human enteric illness.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.171-178
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• 2000

Herpes simplex virus, Varicella zoster virus and Human herpes virus-6 caused central nervous system infections and latent infections but there is no data of the 3 viruses being tested from the same cerebrospinal fluid samples with aseptic meningitis or encephalitis in adults patients. These viruses produced similar neurologic symptoms but difficulties existed in differentiating of etiologic agents and therefore the viruses needed to be detected in the early state. Herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE) in adults, if not treated promptly was fatal. If treated with antiviral drugs in the early phase of encephalitis, neurologic sequales decreased by 65%. Recently, a PCR method for detection of HSVE with CSF was developed. VZV primary and secondary infections caused neurologic symptoms of encephalitis or meningitis. The second frequency of adult encephalitis that caused VZV were reported. HHV-6 caused CNS latent infection that was studied with normal adults brains. But there is no data of HSV, VZV and HHV-6 for aseptic meningitis and encephalitis of Korean adults through etiologic study. We cultured CSFs on HEp-2 cells and simultaneously tested for HSV PCR, VZV nested PCR and HHV-6 PCR with 8 specific primers. The PCR results of CSF from meningitis Korean adults were 13/19 (68.4%) for HSV, 10/19 (52.6%) for VZV and 12/19 (63.2%) for HHV-67/19 (36.8%) cases were triple infected HSV PCR, VZV PCR and HHV-6 PCR positive; 3/19 (15.8%) cases were dual infected HSV PCR and HHV-6 PCR positive; 1119 (0.5%) cases was VZV PCR positive. Strong viral DNA amplification of CSF means a causative virus may be present in aseptic meningitis or encephalitis patients and may cause clinical neurologic symptoms. HSV and HHV-6 viruses detection rate were higher than VZV by PCR with CSFs.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.183-192
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• 2000

Purpose : Adverse events(AE) associated with vaccination have not been systematically monitored in Korea. But since 1994, several deaths after inactivated mouse brain derived Japanese encephalitis vaccine injection arouse the safety problem of immunization in the public, and a evaluation of vaccination program including the effectiveness and safety problem had been started. We have been using MMR vaccine containing Japanese mumps vaccine strains, which are known to be associated with the high rate of adverse events including aseptic meningitis, for the last decade. Methods : We conducted a prospective study of vaccine adverse events associated with MMR vaccine through a tracking system using telephone calls. We followed up 7,594 cases of MMR vaccinees. Results : Reported adverse events included fever, couvulsion, parotitis, and aseptic meningitis. Nine cases of parotitis and seven cases of aseptic meningitis were recognized during follow up period. The incidence of both parotitis and aeptic meningitis was $85.1/10^5$, for Urabe mumps strain. For Hoshino strain, the incidence of parotitis and aseptic meningitis was $158.0/10^5$ and $94.8/10^5$, respectively. Conclusions : The incidence of adverse events was to be a higher than that of natural infection in Korea and was comparable to the results of studies done in other countries.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.54-59
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• 2017

Purpose: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common serious bacterial infection in infants younger than 3 months of age. Lumbar puncture is routinely performed to evaluate febrile young infants for sepsis. However, there is no clear consensus on the use of routine lumbar puncture to diagnose concomitant meningitis in infants with UTI. We evaluated the prevalence of coexisting bacterial meningitis and sterile cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis in young infants with UTI. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 85 infants with UTI, aged from 29 to 99 days, who were admitted to Daegu Catholic University Medical Center from January 2013 to May 2016. We included 80 patients who had undergone lumbar puncture. Demographic features, clinical features, and laboratory findings were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of sterile CSF pleocytosis and we compared these groups and assessed the differences between them. Results: Of the 80 UTI patients enrolled, 34 (43%) had sterile CSF pleocytosis. None had bacterial meningitis, and CSF polymerase chain reaction for enterovirus was positive in two patients without CSF pleocytosis. There were no significant differences between the two groups with regards to age, body temperature, peripheral white blood cell count, urinalysis, and duration of hospital stay. Conclusions: Though sterile CSF pleocytosis is common in young UTI patients, coexisting bacterial or viral meningitis is very rare. Indications for lumbar puncture in these patients depend on clinical condition.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.361-366
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• 2014

The aim of this study was to determine if vaccines containing CPV-2 or CPV-2b provided protection against challenge with a recent Korean CPV-2a isolate. Twenty mongrel pups aged 9 weeks old were used. The commercial CPV-2 or CPV-2b vaccines were administered to each of the 8 pups thrice every 3 weeks, respectively. Two weeks after the last vaccination, all pups were challenged with CPV-2a (VR00174 strain) $1{\times}10^6\;TCID_{50}$. Clinical signs, fecal excretion of challenged CPV, and serological response of pups were observed for 2 weeks after challenge. All vaccinated pups did not display any clinical signs of disease after challenge with Korean CPV-2a isolate, whereas all non-vaccinated pups exhibited mucoid or hemorrhagic diarrhea, vomiting and anorexia. In all non-vaccinated pups, the virus could be detected in feces from 4 days after challenge, whereas in vaccinated pups, no evidence of viral excretion could be detected. Two of 4 non-vaccinated pups died 6 days after the challenge. This study showed that the two commercial CPV-2 and CPV-2b vaccines were effective in preventing infection and/or disease caused by the Korean CPV-2a isolate.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.342-347
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• 2011

T cells play a key role in viral infection. However, in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, HCV-specific T cells are dysfunctional and impaired in the liver, which is the primary site for HCV replication. There are multiple potential mechanisms for HCV-specific T cell dysfunction including induction of immune inhibitory pathways (program death-1; PD-1, cytotoxic t lymphocyte associated antigen-4; CTLA-4) and immune tolerance induced specific for the liver. However, the interaction between hepatocytes and HCV-specific CD8 T cells has not clearly established. In this study, we confirmed huh (human hepatoma) 7.5 cells expressing HLA (human leukocyte antigen) A2 presented antigen to activate HCV-specific CD8 T cells in HLA A2-restricted manner and expression of PD-L (program death ligand) 1 on huh7.5 cells reduced HCV-specific CD8 T cell activation, suggesting an immune modulatory activity. Loss of HCV-specific tetramer responses following antigenic stimulation correlated with increased caspase-3 activity. In addition, PD-L1 on huh7.5 cells rescued HCV-specific CD8 T cells from apoptosis. Our results suggest that the interaction between PD-L1 and PD-1 can recover the function of HCV-specific CD8 T cells in the liver, which could be applied in therapy of HCV chronic infection.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.144-147
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• 2006

Egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) is much widely used in medical fields, but its use in serology of plant viruses is much limited. We produced an IgY against pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) and applied it to several serological tests. Polyclonal antibodies were obtained from the egg yolk of chicken immunized with a total of 2mg of purified PMMoV over 2 months. The titers of antibodies were measured with the ring-test over six months after the first injection. The highest.titers of IgY was 1/2,560 at 2 months after the first injection. Approximately 60-80 mg of IgY were obtained from one egg yolk. Using the IgY, 1ng/ml of purified PMMoV was detected with the indirect ELISA. Gelrite gel double diffusion test, ELISA and tissue immuno-binding assay employing IgY gave similar sensitivity and specificity to those of IgG developed in rabbit. Therefore, the IgY which can be obtained in large quantities from a chicken, might be useful for the antibody production and the serology of plant viruses.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2022

Since the pandemic of COVID-19, active investigation to develop immunity to infectious disease by delivering nucleic acids has been proceeded. Particularly, many studies have been conducted on non-viral vector as several vital side-effects which were found on nucleic acid delivery system using viral vectors. In this study, we have developed plasmid DNA (pDNA) loaded-hyaluronic acid derivative (HA) coated-polyethyleneimine (PEI) based polyplex for enhanced nucleic acid delivery efficiency. We have optimized the ratio of pDNA : PEI : HA by measuring size and protein transcription efficiency. The final product, polyplex-HA, was characterized through measuring size, zeta-potential and TEM image. Intracellular uptake and protein transcription efficiency were compared to commercially available transfection reagent, lipofectamine, through fluorescence image and flow cytometry. In conclusion, polyplex-HA presents a novel gene delivery system for efficient and stable protein transcription since it is available for delivering various genetic materials and has less immunoreactivity.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.119-129
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• 2022

Cervical cytology has been widely used as a screening tool for cervical cancer. However, Human papillomavirus (HPV) detection and subtype testing are suggested to overcome the high false-negative rate associated with cytology. We aimed to investigate the clinical usefulness and infection rate in the HPV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test performed in hospitals. HPV PCR data from 217 patients were analyzed. Analysis of variance revealed a significant difference in the infection rate among different age groups (P=0.015). The biopsy results showed that epithelial cell abnormalities and high HPV-positivity rate was observed in 1 (100%) subject aged <29 years, in 4 out of 5 (80%) patients in their 30s, and in 3 out of 4 (75%) patients aged ≥70 years. The prevalence of HPV infection was very high (46.1%). The highest prevalence (87.5%) was observed among patients in their <29, followed by those in their 30s (67.7%) and those in their 40s (31.9%).A high rate of epithelial cell abnormalities (≥ cervical intraepithelial neoplasia type 1, mild dysplasia) was observed in HPV-infected women aged<30 years. Therefore, extensive research and prevention activities are needed in this age group. HPV PCR testing is recommended to complement cervical cytology

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.282-288
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• 2023

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the immuneenhancing health functional food market that protects our bodies from pathogens such as viruses continues to grow. In this study, we aimed to prove the Cheonggukjang, a high-nutrient food with high protein, fat, and dietary fiber content, as an immuneenhancing nutraceutical. Cheonggukjang water extract (CWE) increased the production of nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, and cytokines such interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α without affecting viability in RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, CWE significantly upregulated the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 in RAW 264.7 cells. CWE enhanced the phosphorylation of I kappa B kinase α/β and I kappa B (IκB)α, as well as the degradation of IκBα. CWE also induced increased phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappa B p65 and facilitated the redistribution of p65 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in RAW 264.7 cells. These findings suggest that CWE has potential as a health functional food material that can enhance the innate immune response.