• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.947-955
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• 2020

The foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), a member of the Aphthovirus genus in the Picornaviridae family, affects wild and domesticated ruminants and pigs. During replication of the FMDV RNA (ribonucleic acid) genome, FMDV-encoding RNA polymerase 3D acts in a highly location-specific manner. This suggests that specific RNA structures recognized by 3D polymerase within non-coding regions of the FMDV genome assist with binding during replication. One such region is the cis-acting replication element (CRE), which functions as a template for RNA replication. The FMDV CRE adopts a stem-loop conformation with an extended duplex stem, supporting a novel 15-17 nucleotide loop that derives stability from base-stacking interactions, with the exact RNA nucleotide sequence of the CRE producing different RNA secondary structures. Here, we show that CRE sequences of FMDVs isolated in Korea from 2010 to 2017 exhibit A and O genotypes. Interestingly, variations in the RNA secondary structure of the Korean FMDVs are consistent with the phylogenetic relationships between these viruses and reveal the specificity of FMDV infections for particular host species. Therefore, we conclude that each genetic clade of Korean FMDV is characterized by a unique functional CRE and that the evolutionary success of new genetic lineages may be associated with the invention of a novel CRE motif. Therefore, we propose that the specific RNA structure of a CRE is an additional criterion for FMDV classification dependent on the host species. These findings will help correctly analyze CRE sequences and indicate the specificity of host species for future FMDV epidemics.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.16-21
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• 2007

Purpose: We evaluated the diagnostic value of $^{18}F-FDG$ PET/CT (PET/CT) in lymph node staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) considering calcification and histologic types as well as FDG uptake. Materials and Methods: Fifty-three patients (38 men, 15 women; mean age, 62 years) with NSCLC underwent surgical resection (tumor resection and lymph node dissection) after PET/CT. After surgery, we compared PET/CT results with the biopsy results, and analyzed lymph node metastases, based on histologic types. PET diagnosis of lymph node metastasis was determined by maximum SUV (maxSUV) > 3.0, and PET/CT diagnosis was determined by maxSUV > 3.0 without lymph node calcification. Results: By PET diagnosis, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of overall lymph node staging were 45% (13 of 29), 91% (228 of 252), and 86% (241 of 281). Specificity was 91% in both squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, while sensitivity was 71% in squamous cell carcinoma and 36% in adenocarcinoma. When we excluded calcified lymph node with maxSUV > 3.0 from metastasis by PET/CT diagnosis, specificity improved to 98% in squamous cell carcinoma and 97% in adenocarcinoma. The degree of improvement was not dependent on histologic types. Conclusion: PET/CT improved specificity of lymph node staging by reducing false positive lymph node regardless of histologic types of NSCLC.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.165-172
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• 2012

Vibrio alginolyticus (V. alginolyticus), which is one of bacterial pathogens evoking severe infection in fish and shellfish as well as in human has been found at high frequency around all coast areas in Korea. Both V. alginolyticus and V. alginolyticus specific bacteriophage were isolated from sea water and various fishes from fish farms on west coast in Korea. In a morphological study based on electron microscope, the purified phage appeared to be composed of hexagon head of 60 nm and short tail of 20 nm. In the denatured SDS-PAGE analysis, the structural proteins of the phage were found to be 7 different protein fractions ranging from 37.8 to 198 kda. The kind of nucleic acid of the phage was ascertained to a double stranded DNA.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.167-171
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• 2009

Purpose: This study was done to determine the usefulness of serum pepsinogen (PG) levels as a screening method for gastric cancer, and to assess the relationships between serum PG and clinicopathologic factors of gastric adenocarcinoma. Materials and Methods: Serum PG concentrations were measured in 94 subjects who were classified into (a) a control group (50 subjects) without abnormal endoscopic finding on a health checkup, or (b) a gastric cancer group (44 subjects) who had surgery at Daegu Catholic University Hospital between Nov. 2008 and May 2009. Receiver operator characteristic curves were utilized to select the most suitable test. Using different cutoff points, sensitivity and specificity were calculated. We compared preoperative serum PG levels with several clinicopathologic findings for patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Results: The Serum PG I：II ratio was the most useful as a screening test. The sensitivity and specificity of PG screening for gastric cancer were, respectively, 81.8% and 82%. The cut off point correlated with the type of intestinal cancer (Lauren classification; P=0.003), tumor stage (P=0.001), and gastric adenocarcinoma with peritumoral chronic atrophic gastritis (P=0.036). Conclusion: Serum PG levels were found to be a potentially useful screening test and to correlate with clinicopathologic factors in gastric cancer patients. But, in order to use serum PG found in a health checkup for gastric cancer as a clinical application a large scale study is recommended.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.24 no.4 s.79
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• pp.265-273
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• 1996

Fleshy fungi were collected during field trips to mountain areas throughout the country from October in 1994 to June in 1995. Through the observation and identification of specimens belonging to the wood-rotting fungi of the Aphyllophorales, one genus, Phlebiopsis, and six species, Athelia bombacina, Ceraceomyces sublaevis, Hyphoderma sibiricum, Hyphodontia arguta, Phlebiopsis gigantea, and Radulomyces confluens were confirmed as new corticioid fungi to Korea and are registered here with descriptions.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.27 no.1 s.88
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• pp.68-72
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• 1999

Wood-rotting fungi of the Aphyllophorales were collected through field trips to mountain areas of the country from January to December of 1997. Through the observation and identification of specimens, two genera, Meruliopsis (type species=M. taxicola) and Pseudomerulius (type species=P. aureus), and four species, Phanerochaete calotricha, Phanerochaete chrysorhiza, Meruliopsis corium, and Pseudomerulius aureus were confirmed as new wood-rotting fungi to Korea and are registered here with descriptions.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.780-785
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• 1997

Mediastinal tumor had been fascinated by its location on heart, great vessels, esophagus, and nervous tissue, its convenience of surgical treatment and superiority of its operative result. Between January 1989 and June 1995, eighty-seven patients with mediastinal tumor which were treated surgically in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Asan Medical Center, School of Medicine, University of Ulsan. To provide the appropriate surgical management of mediastinal tumor, the demographic data, diagnostic evaluation, clinical presentation, location, size, operative finding and histopathologic distribution were reviewed and we analyzed relativity between invasiveness in chest computed tomographic finding or invasiveness on operative finding and histopathologic invasiveness. The anterosuperior mediastinum was the most commonly involved site of a mediastinal tumor(57%), followed by the posterior mediastinum(35%) and middle mediastinum(8%). The most frequently encountered tumors were thymic neoplasia(31%), followed by primary cyst(22%), neurogenic tumor(22%) and teratoma(10%) in decreasing order of frequency. Histopathologically invasive tumors were present in 17 patients(20%) and its site included anterosuperior mediastinum(16%) and posterior mediastinum(4%). All patients in this study underwent chest CT. In chest CT's finding, 15 patients(17%) showed invasiveness. A total excision of the tumor was performed 80 patients(92%), subtotal excision 6 patients(7%) and biopsy only 1 patient(2%). In operative finding, 14 patients(16%) were suspected invasiveness. The mean size of the tumor was 6.0$\pm$ 3.2cm. In anterosuperior mediastinum, the mean size was 6.2$\pm$3.1cm, in middle mediastinum, it was 3.9$\pm$1.1cm, in posterior mediastinum, it was 5.8$\pm$2.6cm. In malignant tumors, the mean size was 7.3$\pm$4.6cm, in benign tumor, it was 5.5$\pm$2.6cm(P<0.05). Relativity between histopathological invasiveness(17 patients) and invasiveness in chest CT's finding(15 patients) included sensitivity 35%, specificity 87% and predictability 35%, relativity between histopathological invasiveness(17 patients) and invasiveness on operative finding included sensitivity 52%, specificity 93% and predictability 64%. In conclusion, since it was proved that the compatibility of preoperative chest CT findings or operative findings and histopathological invasiveness is quite low, it is considered that wide excision of the mediastinal tumor except cystic lesion including adjacent tissues would yield better postoperative results.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.7 s.276
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• pp.517-519
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• 2007

Nodular Lymphoid hyperplasia of the lung has a very low incidence and both the nomenclature and this disease entity have changed since its appearance in the 1960s. It has recently been classified as lymphoid hyperplasia of the B cell associated lymphoid tissue. Ground glass opacity was incidentally diagnosed in the right lower lobe of the a 60 year old male and he underwent right lower lobe lobectomy. The opacified lesion in the chest CT was diagnosed as nodular lymphoid hyperplasia under microscopic examination.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.132-137
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• 2004

Background : The measurement of adenosine deaminase(ADA) level in pleural fluid is useful in the diagnosis of tuberculous(TB) pleural effusion. However, ADA is also elevated in other diseases such as malignancy, bacterial infections, empyema, and collagen vascular disease, ADA alone has limited value. The object of this study is to determine diagnostic usefulness of the combined use of ADA value with lymphocyte/neutrophil ratio(L/N ratio) rather than the use of ADA alone. Method : We evaluated 198 patients(age=$55.9{\pm}12.9$, M/F=2.7:1) with pleural effusion who had admitted in Gyeong-sang National University Hospital from Jan. 1999 to Dec. 2001. retrospectively. Patients were divided into four diagnostic groups: TB pleural effusion(n=91), parapneumonic effusion(n=65), malignant effusion(n=21), and transudative effusion(n=13). The ADA level, differential cell count, biochemistry, cytology, and microbiology of each diagnostic groups were evaluated. The sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value(npv), positive predictive value(ppv) and efficiency were calculated at each ADA values and combined ADA value with various L/N ratios. Results : The ADA level in TB pleural effusion was significantly higher than that of parapneumonic effusion, malignant pleural effusion, and transudative effusion(p<0.05). Sensitivity, specificity, ppv, npv and efficiency at $ADA{\geqq}50$ IU/L in the diagnosis of TB pleural effusion were 89.0%, 82.2%, 81.0%, 89.8% and 85.5% respectively. When $ADA{\geqq}50$ IU/L was combined with lymphocyte/neutrophil $ratio{\geqq}0.75$, sensitivity, specificity, ppv, npv, and efficiency were 83.5%, 96.3%, 95.0%, 87.9% and 90.5% respectively. Specificity, ppv and efficiency were increased with combination of ADA value and L/N ratio. Conclusion : Combination of ADA value and L/N ratio in pleural effusion is more useful than ADA value alone in the diagnosis of TB pleural effusion.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 1989

The seventeen barnyardgrass [Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv.] accessions, which were collected national-widely in 1986 and selected two times through 1987, were experimented at 1988. To identify the ecological properties of the collected accessions of native barnyardgrass species as a weed, the experiment was conducted with Wagner pots in size of I/500a and under PE film house. 1. Accessions were classified into 5 specific groups in plant type properties by use of data from plant height, number of maximum tillers, erectness, culm length and panicle type, among others. 2. As for species identification, they were clustered into 3 similar groups and 2 individual species by use of data from color, first-glumer type, and erectness. 3. Four groups were identified for elongational properties by plant height of 22 days old seedling, length of culm, panical, leaf length and width, and inter-node and spikelet, among others. 4. Properties on quanititative growth were classified into 4 groups and 1 individual accession corresponding to differential plant height of 22 days old seedling, length of culm, panical, inter-node, leaf-sheath, spikelet, first-glumes length, grain, number of tillers, spike, and grain weight. 5. Due to different daily increasing rate in seedling height, dry weight, number of tillers and ratio in dry weight to plant height, the growth rate properties were clustered into 4 groups and one individual accession. 6. Properties on seedling growth were classified into 4 groups by use of differential date in length and width of first-leaf, plant height, number of tillers, and dry weight of young and medium aged seedling. 7. Responding to heading date, the accessions were classified into 3 groups : temperative sensitive, medium, and short-day length sensitive types, respectively. 8. By integrating of all quanititative and attributable characters, the seventeen accessions were clustered into 4 groups and 2 individual accessions.