• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.509-518
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• 1993

Background: By amplifying small amount of DNA, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can be used for the detection of very small amount of microbial agent, and may be especially useful in certain cases which are difficult to be diagnosed microbiologically or serologically. Tuberculous pleurisy is a disease that can be diagnosed in only 70% of cases by conventional diagnostic tools, and PCR would be a very rapid, easy, and sensitive diagnostic method. Method: The specificity and sensitivity of PCR to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA were evaluated using various strains of Mycobacteria. To evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of PCR in tuberculous pleurisy, we used PCR to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in pleural fluid. The amplification target was 123 base pair DNA, a part of IS6110 fragment, 10~16 copies of which are known to exist per genome. The diagnostic yield of PCR was compared with conventional methods, including pleural fluid adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity. Also, the significance of PCR in undiagnosed pleural effusion was evaluated prospectively with antituberculosis treatment. Results: 1) Using cultured Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other strains, PCR could detect upto 1 fg DNA and specific for only Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis. 2) Using pleural effusions of proven tuberculosis cases, the sensitivity of PCR was 80.0% (16/20), and the specificity 95.0% (19/20). 3) Among 13 undiagnosed, but suspected tuberculous effusion, the positive rate was 60% in 10 improved cases after antituberculosis medications, and 0% in 3 cases of proven malignancy later. 4) Adenosine deaminase level of proven and clinically diagnosed tuberculous pleurisy patients was significantly higher than that of excluded patients, and correlated well with PCR results. Conclusion: We can conclude that PCR detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pleural effusion has acceptable sensitivity and specificity, and could be an additional diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.441-452
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• 2002

Background : Anti-apoptotic proteins may be involved in tumor development, progression and the response to treatment, Bcl-2 is by far the most studied anti-apoptotic protein. A novel inhibitor of apoptosis, designated survivin, and the heat shock proteins (HSPs) have recently been found in many human cancers. Immunohistochemical methods were used to determine the expression level of survivin, HSP70 and bcl-2 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to evaluate their clinical significance. Materials and Methods : Tissue array slides were obtained from 99 surgically resected NSCLCs. Immunohistochemical staining was performed by an immuno-peroxidase technique using an avidin-biotinylated horseradish peroxidase complex. Anti-survivin rabbit polyclonal antibodies, anti-HSP70 mouse monoclonal antibodies and anti-bcl-2 mouse monoclonal antibodies were used as the primary antibodies. Results : Positive staining of survivin was detected in 33.3% of the cases. Survivin positivity is associated with to females and recurrence. A nonstatistically significant trend toward increased survivin expression was observed in non-smokers, and its expression inversely correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked in smokers. HSP70 was detected in 84.8% but this did not correlated with the clinicopathologic characteristics. Bcl-2 was detected in 18.2% and its expression correlated to tumor recurrence. No significant difference in the median survival time was noted in a comparison of all cases with survivin expression and those without. There was no association between HSP70 or bcl-2 expression and survival. Conclusion : Survivin expression was significantly associated with females and tumor recurrence. In addition its expression was inversely associated with the number of cigarettes smoked. However, HSP70 and bcl-2 expression were not associated with the clinical parameters or survival. This suggests that measuring the survivin levels may be useful in identifying patients at high risk for disease recurrence. Therefore, survivin might be a new diagnostic/therapeutic target in cancer.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.504-511
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• 2008

Background: Particulate matter may be toxic to human tissue. Ambient air particulate matter ${\leq}10{\mu}m$ in aerodynamic size ($PM_{10}$), which changes under different environmental conditions, is a complex mixture of organic and inorganic compounds. The Asian dust event caused by meteorological phenomena can also spread unique particulate matter in affected areas. We evaluated production of ROS, $TGF-{\beta}$, fibronectin, and $NF{\kappa}B$ by exposing normal epithelial cells to Asian dust particulate matter. Methods: Bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to 0, 50, ${\leq}100{\mu}g/ml$ of a suspension of $PM_{10}$ for 24 h. ROS were detected by measurement of DCF release from DCF-DA by FACScan. $TGF-{\beta}$, fibronectin, and $NF{\kappa}B$ were detected by western blotting. Results: $PM_{10}$ exposure increased the expression of $TGF-{\beta}$, fibronectin, and $NF{\kappa}B$. ROS production and $TGF-{\beta}$ levels were significantly higher with 50 or ${\leq}100{\mu}g/ml$ $PM_{10}$. Fibronectin and $NF{\kappa}B$ production were significantly higher after ${\leq}100{\mu}g/ml$ of $PM_{10}$. Conclusion: $PM_{10}$ from Asian dust particles might have fibrotic potential in bronchial epithelial cells via ROS induction after $PM_{10}$ exposure.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.158-166
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• 2017

The object of this study was to improve tomato seedling quality in low temperature(below 7, $10^{\circ}C$ during night time or daily mean air temperature was $18^{\circ}C$) by application of silicate fertilizer. Six different silicate fertilizer concentrations (8, 16, 32, 64, 128, and 256mM) or water as the control were applied to tomato seedlings twice a week for 20 days. Positive effects were observed in the growth parameters of the seedlings treated with 16 and 32mM silicate fertilizer; the most effective concentration of silicate at which seedlings showed the best performance was 16mM. However, a high concentration of silicate (256mM) caused negative effects on the growth. The transpiration rate decreased alongside with the increase of silicate concentration up to 32mM, possibly due to the increased stomatal diffusive resistance. Silicate stimulated the growth and development of tomato seedlings, resulting in increased growth parameters and root morphology. However, no significant differences were observed among treatment numbers of soil-drenching wuth the silicate (6, 10, or 20 times with 16mM) for 20 days, suggesting that silicate treatment with 6 times may be sufficient to induce the silicate effects. The application of 16mM of silicate fertilizer reduced relative ion leakage and chilling injury during low temperature storage. In addition, the seedlings treated with silicate fertilizer recovered faster than those without silicate treatment after low temperature storage.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.201-207
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• 2017

Objective of this research was to investigate the influence of pre-plant nitrogen levels in root media on plug seedling growth of radish cv. Soksungbommu. To achieve the research purpose, a root medium, the mixture of perlite, coir dust, and peatmoss (volume percentage of 30:35:35) was formulated and the N levels incorporated during mixing were controlled to 0, 100, 250, 500, 750, 1,000, and $1,500mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$. Then, the seeds were sown into 72-cell plug trays in which the root medium was packed. The measurements of growth and analysis of tissue and root media were conducted 2 and 4 weeks after sowing. Elevation of pre-plant N levels raised EC and turned down pH of root media. But, as seedling grew, the pH rose and EC get lowered in all treatments. The EC as well as $NH_4-N$ and $NO_3-N$ concentrations of root media declined gradually until week 2, but those declined sharply between weeks 2 to 4. The seedling growth 2 weeks after sowing showed quadratic response to pre-plant N levels with the highest growth in $250mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ treatment and lagging growth in the treatments of lower or higher N levels than $250mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$. The seedling growth 4 weeks after sowing showed also quadratic response with the highest growth in $500mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ treatment. The tissue N contents were get higher and those of K, Ca, and Mg were get lower as pre-plant N levels were elevated. Above results suggest that lower than $250mg{\cdot}L^{-1}$ in pre-plant N levels is optimistic for growth of plug seedling and avoidance of toxic injury in very young stage.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.12
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• pp.1354-1361
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• 2005

Purpose : Rotavirus is an enteric pathogen that affects millions of children globally each year. But no specific therapy is available for the management of rotavirus diarrhea. Due to the clear need to define improved modality for treatment of rotavirus diarrhea, we evaluated the efficacy of antirotavirus IgY in the treatment of infants and children with gastroenteritis. Methods : First, the amount of viral particle in the stools of thirteen patients(seven were given IgY, 6 placebo) infected by rotavirus were evaluated for 3 days with the quantitative RT-PCR method. Second, 36 children with known rotavirus infection identified by ELISA or semi-quantitative RT-PCR were evaluated. We gave 5 g anti-rotavirus egg yolk daily in two equally divided doses for 3 days to two groups(an 18 IgY group and an 18 placebo group), respectively after parenteral consent. Daily vomiting frequency, stool frequency, oral intake and urine output were monitored for 3 days, and electrolyte and blood chemistry were checked at the first and third days. Results : First, in the placebo group, the amount of virus particles increased daily, but in the IgY group it decreased daily. Second, when IgY and placebos were given to children infected with rotavirus, diarrhea on the third day decreased significantly in the IgY group, compared with the placebo group. Conclusion : Treatment with antirotavirus immunoglobulin from immunized chicken's egg resulted in a decrease in the amount of viral particles in stools and diarrhea frequency in children. These results suggest that anti-rotavirus IgY is effective in the treatment of rotavirus gastroenteritis.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.97 no.3
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• pp.204-214
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• 2008

This study was conducted to analyze the influence of simulated acid rain on growth of Liliodendron tulipifera seedlings. The seedlings were treated with four levels of simulated acid rain, 5.6, 4.9, 3.9, or 2.9, and dry weight, growth of stem and root were investigated. There were statistically significant differences at 1% and 5% in the total dry weight of the above-part among the simulated acid rain treated groups with different levels of pH and different types of soil. The dry weight of the above part tended to decrease as the acidity of the simulated acid rain increases. The total dry weight of the below-part was significantly different according to the levels of acidity of the acid rain in all three soils and was shown a significant difference according to the soil types at only pH 2.9 plot. The dry weight of the below part in soils A and C decreased as the pH level decreases. The rate of stem growth was significantly different among the treatment groups of acidity of the acid rain at significance level of 0.01 and among the treatment groups of soil types at 0.01 and 0.05 levels from June to August. In all three soil types, the greatest stem growth occurred during the period of June. Moreover, stem growth was promoted at pH 3.9 plot and pH 4.9 plot whereas it was suppressed at pH 2.9 plot. Though the amount of fine roots and very fine roots in soil depth of 0-7 cm and 7-14 cm were significantly different among the treatment groups of pH level, fine root was not shown a significant difference among the pH groups in soil depth of 14-21cm. The types of soil significantly affected only on the amount of the very fine root.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.17-20
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• 2005

Natural products has been occasionally used in place of growth regulators to control lateral root formation and growth of soybean sprouts. The study was done to measure the effects of treatment concentration of hard rubber tree (Eucommia ulmoides Oliver) leaf extract on lateral root formation, growth and morphological characters of the sprouts. Seeds of three cultivars, Pungsannamulkong, Sowonkong and Junjery, were imbibed for 5 hours into water, its 5 and 10% solutions immediately before 6 day culture. The cultured sprouts were classified into 4 categories to calculate their composition rates on the base of hypocotyl lengths; >7 cm (A),4 to 7 cm (B),<4 cm (C) and not germinated (D), and their morphological characters, fresh and dry weights were measured. Rate of A was decreased with increased concentrations, while that of C showed reverse result compared to A. Regardless of concentrations, the former rate was less in cv. Junjery than in cv. Pungsannamulkong and Sowonkong than in cv. Junjery although the latter rate was truly opposite to the former one. In 10% treatment concentration, lateral roots were less formed in cv. Junjery although nearly formed in cv. Pungsannamulkong and Sowonkong. In all the 3 cultivars, lateral roots per sprouts were decreased with increased treatment concentration. shorter and thicker sprout was observed in cv. Junjery than in the other cultivars, and in increased concentrations compared to relatively lower ones. Total fresh weight was the greatest in cv. Sowonkong due to mainly increment of its hypocotyl, but was reduced with increased concentration due to mainly decrement of hypocotyl in all the cultivars.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.1497-1502
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• 2002

Purpose : We evaluated allele frequencies and distribution of surfactant protein A1(SP-A1) in Korean neonates in order to estimate prevalence of RDS to find out new SP-A alleles, and to establish new steroid therapy. Methods : Genomic DNA was extracted from 100 neonates and served as a template in PCR for genotype analysis. SP-A gene-specific amplications and gene-specific allele determinations were performed using PCR-RFLP methods. Results : The distribution for the alleles of the SP-A1 gene in the study population were 6A, $6A^2$, $6A^3$, $6A^4$, $6A^8$, $6A^9$, $6A^{10}$, $6A^{11}$, $6A^{12}$, $6A^{13}$, $6A^{14}$, $6A^{15}$, $6A^{16}$, $6A^{17}$, $6A^{18}$, $6A^{20}$. The specific frequencies for the alleles of the SP-A1 gene in the study population were : $6A^2=21%$, $6A^3=45%$, $6A^4=11%$, $6A^8=9%$, $6A^{14}=8%$. Conclusion : The frequency of $6A^3$ was higher than the other SP-A1 alleles in Korean neonates. This finding suggests that the prevalence of RDS in Korea may be low compared with other countries. However, this finding also suggests that Korean neonates have a high risk of infection.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.7
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• pp.672-677
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• 2007

Purpose : To assess the prevalence and characteristics of headache comorbidity with epilepsy in children and adolescents in a specialty epilepsy clinic. Methods : Two hundred twenty nine consecutive patients attending the Chosun University Hospital Pediatric Epilepsy Clinic (mean age $10.0{\pm}4.1\;years$, range 4-17, M:F ratio 1.1:1.0) were interviewed with a standardized headache questionnaire. Headache was classified according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd Edition and epilepsy was classified according to the International League Against Epilepsy. Disability was assessed using pediatric migraine disability assessment (PedMIDAS). Results : Of the 229 epilepsy patients, 86 (37.6%) had co-morbid headache. Of the headache patients, 64 (74.4%) had migraine (65.6%- migraine without aura, 20.3% - migraine with aura, 14.1% - probable migraine). The mean headache frequency was $7.2{\pm}8.4$ per month, mean duration was $2.2{\pm}4.0$ hours, mean severity was $5.2{\pm}2.2$ out of 10, and mean PedMIDAS score was $13.0{\pm}35.4$. The proportion of females was not higher in epilepsy with headache patients (48.8%) compared to epilepsy patients alone (48.0%). In the patients with migraine, 48.4% had complex partial seizures, 17.2% had simple partial seizures, and 34.4% had generalized seizures (P=0.368). A postictal association of migraine was reported in 18.8% with 17.2% reporting a preictal headache, and 7.8% reporting an ictal headache. Conclusion : The prevalence of headache in pediatric epilepsy is higher than that in general pediatric population, suggesting a co-morbidity of headache in epilepsy patients with migraine being the most frequent headache disorder. Altered cerebral excitability resulting in an increased occurrence of spreading depression may explain the headache comorbidity with epilepsy. Further studies are needed to assess the etiology of this co-morbidity as well as assess the frequency, duration, severity and disability response to antiepileptic drugs.