• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.94-100
• /
• 2022

Chronic infection by hepatitis B virus (HBV) greatly increases the risk for liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The outcome of HBV infection is shaped by the complex interplay of the mode of transmission, host genetic factors, viral genotype, adaptive mutations, and environmental factors. The pregenomic RNA transcription of HBV for their replication is regulated by the core promoter activation. Core promoter mutations have been the reason for acute liver failure and are associated with HCC development. We obtained HBV genes from a patient in Myanmar who was infected with HBV and identified gene variations in the core promoter region. For measuring the relative transactivation activity of the core promoter, we prepared the core-promoter reporter construct. Among the gene variations of the core promoter, the mutations of C1731T and G1806A were associated with increase in the transactivation of the HBV core promoter. Through computer analysis for searching for a tentative transcription factor binding site, we showed that the mutations of C1713T and G1806A newly created C/EBPβ and XBP1-responsive elements of the core promoter, respectively. The ectopic expression of C/EBPβ largely increased the HBV core promoter containing the C1713T mutation and that of XBP1 activated the M95 promoter containing the G1806A mutation. Our efforts to treat and prevent HBV infections are hampered by the emergence of drug-resistant mutations and vaccine-escape mutations. Our results provide the biological properties and clinical significance of specific HBV core promoter mutations.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.195-203
• /
• 2012

Recurrent aphthous ulcer(RAU) is the most frequent form of oral ulceration with a prevalence in the general population ranging between 5% and 60%. The peak age of onset is between 10 and 19 years of age, and it can persist into adulthood and throughout the patient's lifespan, with no gender predilection. The disease is characterized clinically into three types: minor aphthous ulcer, major aphthous ulcer and herpeticform ulcers. The cause of RAU is unknown and thought to be multifactorial with many triggers or precipitating factors that include familial tendency or genetic predisposition, allergy, medications, hormones, stress or anxiety, and immunologic abnormalities. The need for consideration of psychological factors in the pathogenesis of oral disease has been increasingly acknowledged over the last decades and many studies have highlighted the psycho-social impact of oral conditions. In this study, we tried to evaluate the influence of emotional stress in RAU. There were thirty patients with a clinical diagnosis of RAU and other subjects who did not show any signs of systemic disorders include RAU. They are evaluated by using modified Holmes and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS). As a result, a significantly higher level of stress was found in the RAU patients than the control group. Therefore it can be concluded that psychological stressors play an important role in the RAU.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.111-116
• /
• 2020

Purpose: Human parvovirus B19 infection is widespread and has a heterogeneous clinical spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic infection to potentially life-threatening complications. We investigated the various clinical features of human parvovirus B19 infection during an outbreak of the virus in our community. Methods: A retrospective chart review study was conducted at the Pusan National University Children's Hospital from December 2017 to April 2019. We investigated the clinical features of children with parvovirus B19 immunoglobulin M or parvovirus B19 DNA detected using polymerase chain reaction. Results: A total of 24 children were diagnosed with parvovirus B19 infection. Twelve (50%) had lace form rashes, and four (16.7%) had petechial rashes. Two (8.3%) were diagnosed with fever without a focus. Six (25%) developed aplastic crisis as a complication of infection, of whom three were previously diagnosed with hereditary spherocytosis and three with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Conclusions: In addition to erythema infectiosum, the parvovirus B19 infection can present clinically with various types of rashes and fever without a focus. Furthermore, hematologic manifestations such as neutropenia and aplastic crisis can occur during infection.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.51 no.11
• /
• pp.1211-1216
• /
• 2008

Purpose : Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a rare heterogeneous genetic disorder of infancy and early childhood. It is characterized by red cell aplasia, congenital anomalies, and a predisposition to cancer. Corticosteroids and red cell transfusions are the mainstays of therapy. We describe our experience of 6 cases of DBA that were encountered over a period of 16 years. Methods : Medical records of 6 patients diagnosed to have DBA and admitted to the Chonnam National University Hospital between 1992 and 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Results : Three patients were males. The age at diagnosis ranged from 3 to 18 months (median, 5.5 months). Heart defects were observed in 4, polydactyly in 2, and strabismus in 1 patient. The median number of transfusions was 3 (range, 2-8). All patients responded to initial treatment with steroids and had a hemoglobin level ${\geq}9g/dL$ with a median of 12.5 days (range, 7-22 days). Three patients are currently not receiving steroid therapy. A minimum dose of oral prednisolone (<5 mg per day) was required to maintain hemoglobin ${\geq}9mg/dL$ in 3 cases. Red cell transfusion was infrequently required in 1 patient. In the median follow-up of 14 years, there was no development of malignancy. No significant side effects of steroids were found, except for short stature in 2. Conclusion : The majority of DBA patients achieved complete response and under maintenance therapy with low dose of steroids. Close observation is needed to monitor steroid side effects, cardiac function, and development of malignancy. A nation-wide survey is necessary to further characterize this rare disease in Korean children.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.40 no.6
• /
• pp.653-658
• /
• 1993

Background: Recent advancement of molecular genetics has revealed that malignant transformation of a cell may be a complex multistep process and this process is grouped, in general, into two distinct categories, activation of protooncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. This study was focused on the mutation of p53 tumor suppressor gene, because p53 gene mutation is now generally accepted to be one of the most frequent genetic changes in a variety of human cancers. Although lung cancer is one of the common cancers in Korea, the genetic change in the carcinogenesis process is not yet known clearly. To investigate the role of p53 gene mutation in lung cancer, we examined the mutations of exon 4-8 of the p53 gene in humna lung cancer cell lines, because most of the mutations of p53 gene have been reported to develop in exon 4-8. Method: Genomic DNA was obtained by the digestion of proteinase K and the extraction by phenol-chloroform-ethanol method from two human pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell lines, PC-9 and PC-14, and one human small cell lung cancer cell line, H69. To detect the mutations of exon 4-8 of the p53 gene, polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism(PCR-SSCP) analysis was performed with the DNA extracted from the cells. Results: The mutation of p53 gene was present in all three cell lines tested. In PC-9, PC-14 and H69, the altered mobility was detected in exon 7, 7 and 5, respectively. Conclusion: These results suggest that p53 gene mutation plays an important role in certain steps of the carcinogenesis of human non-small cell and small cell lung cancer.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.384-389
• /
• 2009

This study was carried out to elucidate the relation between expression levels of three melanin synthesis genes (Tyrosinase, Tyrosinase-related protein 1 and Dopachrome tautomerase) according to the Melanocortin-1 receptor genotypes with coat color patterns in Hanwoo cattle, Jeju black cattle and Holsteins. Using real-time semiquantitative reverse transcription-PCR assay (RT-PCR), the expression levels of these three genes were analyzed in skin tissues from four representative coat colored areas: yellowish-brown from MC1R e/e Hanwoo, wild type black from $E^+/E^+$ Jeju black cattle (JBC), and dominant black and white pied regions from $E^D/E^D$ Holstein. The TYR, TYRP1 and DCT genes showed higher expression levels of 4.5, 2.3 and 2.5 times higher in the black skin area of Holsteins than those of from JBC, respectively (p<0.001). In addition, the expression levels of these three genes from JBC were significantly higher than those from Hanwoo cattle (p<0.001). These results show that coat color phenotypes in Hanwoo cattle, JBC and Holsteins is directly correlated with TRY, TYRP1 and DCT transcription levels, which probably reflected involvement with MC1R genotypes; e/e in Hanwoo, $E^+/E^+$ in JBC and $E^D/E^D$ in Holsteins. Consequently, this study suggested that the status of MC1R protein may not only induce the transcription activities of a series of TYR and its related genes responsible for melanin synthesis, but also determine the levels of total melanin contents in bovine skin.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.579-584
• /
• 2013

The stable fueling and water supply should be prerequisites to guarantee the operational sustainment of military command post. Meanwhile, in terms of the operational sustainment, it is verified that the current wave-guided below cutoff (WBC) system cannot satisfy the requirement of control associated with water supply and fueling within the command post. In this study, as the dielectric substance can block electromagnetic pulse (EMP), it was tried to identify the shielding effectiveness of the multi WBCs filled with water and diesel for attenuating the EMP effect using experiment based on the MIL STD 188-125-1. According to the experimental results, used water in the experiment show the shielding effectiveness from around 640 MHz frequency because of minerals contained in the water. Furthermore, it was noted that EMP attenuating strength of the WBC filled with diesel was enlarged from around 1,680 MHz frequency. Resultingly, it could be concluded that it is enough to supply stable water and diesel through the multi WBC to block EMP within the military command post for guaranteeing the military operations sustainment.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.51 no.9
• /
• pp.1007-1011
• /
• 2008

Purpose : Febrile seizure (FS) is the most common type of seizure. The role of genetic factors in FSs has long been recognized. A positive family history can be elicited in 25-40% of patients with FSs; nonetheless, the genes responsible for FSs in the majority of the population remain unknown. Interleukin-$1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that acts as an endogenous pyrogen. Thus, $IL-1{\beta}$ could be involved in the pathophysiology of FSs. Methods : To determine whether or not single nucleotide polymorphisms of the $IL-1{\beta}$ gene are associated with susceptibility to simple FSs, $IL-1{\beta}$ promoter -31 and -511 genotyping was performed by means of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment (PCR-RF) length polymorphism in 40 FS patients (20 sporadic and 20 familial FS patients) and 33 controls. Results : There were no significant differences in the frequencies of -31 C/T and -511 C/T in the $IL-1{\beta}$ promoter gene, between simple FS patients and controls. Conclusion : The frequency of CT/CT increased relatively in familial FS patients. A study examining a larger number of FS patients is needed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Embryo Transfer Conference
• /
• 2002.11a
• /
• pp.87-87
• /
• 2002

초음파기기를 이용한 난포란의 채란 기술은 유전적으로 우수한 수정란의 다량확보가 가능함으로써 가축개량에 널리 응용할 수 있다. 그러나 초음파유도 난포란의 채란은 무엇보다도 회수율과 회수한 난포란의 질적 등급의 개선이 이루어져야 할 것이다. 본 연구는 등지방층두께, 일당증체량, 근내지방도 및 배최장근 단면적에 연관된 DNA marker가 검정된 한우로부터 FSH(FOLLTROPIN-V, Vetrepharm, Canada)를 투여하여 FSH 투여전.후의 포의 발달율과 등급별 회수율을 조사하였다. 공시동물의 발정주기에 관계없이 매주 무처리와 채란 12시간 전에 FSH를 각각 l00mg 과 200mg을 근육 주사하여 난포란의 채취를 유토하였다. 난소내 난포란의 채란은 SONOACE-600형 (Medison CO., 한국) 초음파기기를 사용하여 모니터 상에 검게 나타나는 난포를 17-gauge needle (Cook, Australia) 로써 70mmHg로 유지된 regulated vacuum pump를 이용하여 모두 채란하였으며, 소난포는 손가락 촉지를 이용하여 채란하였다. 난포의 크기는(large : $\geq$6mm, medium : 2-6mm, small $\leq$2mm) 무처리구에서 small(56.6%), medium(33.0%), large follicles(10.4%) 순으로 나타났으며, 전체 난포수는 106(8.2$\pm$3.6개) 였다. FSH 200mg 투여구에서는 medium(47.5%), small(32.5%), large follicles(20.0%) 순으로 나타났으며, 전체난포수는 40(10.0$\pm$2.2개) 였다. FSH l00mg 투여구에서는 medium(45.6%), small(43.5%), large follicles (10.9%) 순으로 나타났으며, 전체 난포는 92(7.7$\pm$2.5개) 였다. FSH 투여전 초음파 image 상으로 관찰한 난포수와 FSH 투여 후 초음파기기와 손가락 촉지를 이용하여 난포의 발달 및 난포란의 채란율은 200mg 투여 구에서는 투여 전에 4.3$\pm$0.6개였으나 투여 후에는 9.3$\pm$2.1개로 증가하였으며, 채란율은 75.0% 였다. l00mg 투여구에서도 투여 전후에 각각 5.3$\pm$1.2개 및 8.2$\pm$2.3개였으며, 채란율은 81.6%였다. 난포란의 채란율은 무처리구에서 88.7%(7.2$\pm$3.9개)로 나타났으며, 회수한 난포란의 등급은 각각 0.0%(GI), 5.3%(GII), 28.T%(GIII), 66.0%(GIV)로 나타났다. FSH 200mg 투여구의 채란율은 87.5%(8.8$\pm$2.6개)로 나타났으며, 등급별회수율은 GI(2.8%), GII(8.6%), GIII(34.3%), GIV(54.3%)으로 나타났다. 뿐만 아니라 FSH 100mg 투여구에서도 회수율은 89.1%(6.8$\pm$5.2개)였으며, 등급별 회수율은 각각 GI(8.5%), GII(13.4%), GIII(43.9%), GIV(34.2%)로 나타났다.

• Journal of Mushroom
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.77-81
• /
• 2013

To develop a new cultivar of king oyster mushroom(Pleurotus eryngii), G09-21 as parental strain was selected by the method of Di-mon crossing between monokaryotic strain ASI 2824-21 derived from ASI 2824(Keunneutari No. 2) and dikaryotic strain ASI 2887(Aeryni 3). The Pe21-53(G09-21-10 x ASI 2844-9) was shown the best cultural characteristics, selected to be a new cultivar and designated as 'Seolsong'. The 'Seolsong' was distinctly formed incompatibility line in the confrontation growth of parental strains Keunneutari No. 2, Aeryni 3 and ASI 2844. Analysis of the genetic characteristics of the new cultivar 'Seolsong' showed a different DNA profile as that of the control strains, Keunneutari No. 2, Aeryni 3 and ASI 2844, when RAPD(Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) primer URP4 was used. The optimum temperature and pH arrange for mycelial growth were $25{\sim}30^{\circ}C$ and pH 5~8, respectively. This new cultivar 'Seolsong' of fruiting body production per bottle was about $131.4{{\pm}}43.1$ g which is about 102% quantity compared to that of other cultivar Keunneutari No. 2. And also the stipe is thick and long, but the number of available stipe is few. Particularly, it was tolerant of high moisture above 90% during the growth period after primodia formation. We therefore expect that this new strain will save of labor and cost of cultivation by without culling work.