• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.245-253
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• 2013

To provide reference data or guideline for empirical treatment of bloodstream infection, we studied a change pattern in causative microorganisms and antimicrobial susceptibility in a general hospital at Gyeonggi province during five years. We retrospectively reviewed the frequency of causative microorganisms and antimicrobial susceptibility results of 5,782 microorganisms isolated from blood culture in a general hospital during the period from January 2008 to December 2012. The most common pathogens were Escherichia coli (14.7%), Staphylococcus aureus (7.5%), Streptococcus viridans group (4.9%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (4.1%). The multiple microorganisms were isolated in 4.3% of bloodstream infection patients. The average contamination rate of blood culture during five years was 3.0%. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE), and penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae were isolated at 62%, 27% and 11%, respectively. Cefotaxime-resistant E. coli and K. pneumoniae was 20% and 18%, respectively. Imipenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (IRPA) and Acinetobacter baumannii (IRAB) was 25% and 66%, respectively. E. coli and S. aureus were most common pathogens isolated from blood culture for five years. The increase of multidrug-resistant microorganisms, such as MRSA, VRE, ESBL, IRPA and IRAB, requires more strict control of antibiotics and causes the need of the more updated guideline for the treatment of blood stream infection.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.268-276
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• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify factors which influence the management of MultiDrug -Resistant Organisms (MDROs) by nurses in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Methods: Data were collected from December 8 to 20, 2013 and participants were 163 ICU nurses working in one general hospital. The Health Belief Model tool and knowledge and management of MDROs infection tools were used in the study. Descriptive statistics, t-test, analysis of variances, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. Results: Knowledge, perceived susceptibility, and perceived benefits had a significant influence on MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus,) and MDRAB (Multidrug Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii) infection management when all the other variables were considered. Significant variable which had influence on VRE (Vancomycin Resistant Eenterococci) infection management were perceived susceptibility and perceived benefits. Conclusion: Perceived susceptibility and perceived benefits had significant influence on MDROs infection management. Emphasis needs to be on the perceived susceptibility and perceived benefits of MDROs infection management when providing an educational program for ICU nurses.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.119-126
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• 2017

Objectives: Semecarpus anacardium Linn. is a plant well-known for its antimicrobial, antidiabetic and anti-arthritic properties in the Ayurvedic and Siddha system of medicine. This has prompted the screening of this plant for antibacterial activity. The main aims of this study were to isolate compounds from the plant's seeds and to evaluate their antibacterial effects on clinical bacterial test strains. Methods: The n-butanolic concentrate of the seed extract was subjected to thin layer chromatography (TLC) and repeated silica gel column chromatography followed by elution with various solvents. The compound was identified based on observed spectral (IR, $^1H$ NMR, $^{13}C$ NMR and high-resolution mass spectrometry) data. The well diffusion method was employed to evaluate the antibacterial activities of the isolated acyclic isoprenoid compound (final concentration: $5-15{\mu}g/mL$) on four test bacterial strains, namely, Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 96), Bacillus cereus (MTCC 430), Escherichia coli (MTCC 1689) and Acinetobacter baumannii (MTCC 9829). Results: Extensive spectroscopic studies showed the structure of the isolated compound to be an acyclic isoprenoid ($C_{21}H_{32}O$). Moreover, the isoprenoid showed a remarkable inhibition of bacterial growth at a concentration of $15{\mu}g/mL$ compared to the two other doses tested (5 and $10{\mu}g/mL$) and to tetracycline, a commercially available antibiotic that was used as a reference drug. Conclusion: The isolation of an antimicrobial compound from Semecarpus anacardium seeds validates the use of this plant in the treatment of infections. The isolated compound found to be active in this study could be useful for the development of new antimicrobial drugs.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.63-69
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• 2002

This study was performed to investigate the effectiveness of the aspiration trap method for collection of sputum by comparing with the conventional method which was collecting specimens at canular cap swab. In this study, the author tested by two methods to collect specimens from 46 patients who were cared with tracheostomy and intubation at the intensive care unit of an university hospital in Pusan, and investigated the incidence of the lower respiratory tract infection, the consistency between the two methods, the level of specimen contamination. Major results were as follows: Among the patients, 35 were cared with tracheostomy and 11 were cared with intubation. In clinical diagnosis we were classified the subjects in to two group, 17 of pneumonia group and 29 of non-pneumonia group. A total of 247 strains were isolated. Among them, most three strains were Serratia marcescens (62 strains; 25.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (52 strains; 21.1%), and Acinetobacter baumannii (19 strains; 7.8%). Out of total, 188 (76.1%) strains were Gram negative bacilli. The isolated strains by the aspiration trap method were the average 2.1 strains, but by the canular cap swab method were 1.6 strains. In spite of the high contaminated possibility from the incision site and the oral cavity swab, the low isolated rates of the canular cap may be the dried environment of the canular of cap area. But the contamination rates were 57.2% of the canular cap, 51.5% of the oral swab and 50.5% of the incision site swab, respectively. The consistency of predominant microorganisms according to collection method were 86.7% of aspiration, 78.3% of canular, 74.3% of incision, and 63.6% of oral. In conclusion, the aspiration trap method fur the sputum collection from the patients with intubation of tracheostomy showed the lower contamination rate of the specimens and it was helpful for rapid, accurated interpretation of the lower respiratory tract infection and hospital infection.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 2011

The Multidrug-resistant Acinetobactor baumanii (MDRAB) is an opportunistic pathogen. Patients with long periods of hospital stay and/or under intensive care unit (ICU) receiving invasive management are more susceptible to this pathogen. In this report, four children with MDRAB infection are reviewed and described their clinical characteristics. There had been concurrent outbreaks of MDRAB infection in adult patients in the ICU at this period of time. The first child had received a craniotomy and epidural hematoma evacuation. The second child was admitted for status epilepticus with hydrocephalus. The third child had pneumonia with status epilepticus with hydrocephalus. The fourth child had poor activity due to hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy and convulsive disorder. Except the fourth child, all had not been exposed to carbapenem prior to infection of MDRAB. That imply the cause of MDRAB infections may be associated with invasive management and prolonged hospitalization together with the previous exposure to carbapenem in our cases. We would like to emphasize the importance and minimizing the spread of hospital infection in patients under prolonged intensive care management regardless of the use of carbapenem.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1563-1572
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• 2018

Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and their conjugates have been gaining a great deal of recognition in the medical field. Meanwhile, extended-spectrum ${\beta}$-lactamases (ESBL)-producing bacteria are also demonstrating a challenging problem for health care. The aim of this study was the biosynthesis of AuNP using Rosa damascenes petal extract and conjugation of ceftriaxone antibiotic (Cef-AuNP) in inhibiting ESBL-producing bacteria and study of in vitro anticancer activity. Characterization of the synthesized AuNP and Cef-AuNP was studied. ESBL-producing strains, Acinetobacter baumannii ACI1 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PSE4 were used for testing the efficacy of Cef-AuNP. The cells of MCF-7 breast cancer were treated with previous AuNP and Cef-AuNP at different time intervals. Cytotoxicity effects of apoptosis and its molecular mechanism were evaluated. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy established the formation of AuNP and Cef-AuNP. Transmission electron microscope demonstrated that the formed nanoparticles were of different shapes with sizes of 15~35 nm and conjugation was established by a slight increase in size. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of Cef-AuNP against tested strains were obtained as 3.6 and $4{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. Cef-AuNP demonstrated a decrease in the MIC of ceftriaxone down to more than 27 folds on the studied strains. The biosynthesized AuNP displayed apoptotic and time-dependent cytotoxic effects in the cells of MCF-7 at a concentration of $0.1{\mu}g/ml$ medium. The Cef-AuNP have low significant effects on MCF-7 cells. These results enhance the conjugating utility in old unresponsive ceftriaxone with AuNP to restore its efficiency against otherwise resistant bacterial pathogens. Additionally, AuNP may be used as an alternative chemotherapeutic treatment of MCF-7 cancer cells.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2010

Emerging of antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria is now a very serious problem in the clinics to treat the diseases, which have been easy to cure by antibiotic treatments before. Unfortunately, antibiotics developed till now are not effective any more against the resistant bacteria. Lots of efforts to discover new antibiotics having novel and unique structures and functions are really urgent and undergoing in the whole world. In this study, we tried to screen and isolate Same unique bacterial strains producing antibacterial substances from the sea water, which is the poor environment for bacteria 10 make their growing. Three bacterial strains among 916 strains isolated showed inhibition clear zone on the marine agar plate growing pathogenic bacteria including Acinetobacter baumannii, Edwardsiella tarda, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica. One of them, which was identified as Bacillus sp. DH-9 from 16S rRNA gene analysis, showed especially considerable antibacterial activity against S. aureus which is notorious for methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA). The growth of S. aureus was totally inhibited when the supernatant of Bacillus sp. DH-9 culture was treated on.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.73-79
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• 2013

The fruit of the black raspberry (Rubus coreanus Miquel) has been employed in traditional medicine, and recent studies have demonstrated its measureable biological activities. However, the root of the black raspberry has not been studied. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of the root and unripe fruit polyphenols of the black raspberry. Both polyphenols proved to have anti-inflammatory activity as evidenced by the decreased nitric oxide (NO), cytokines (IL-$1{\beta}$, IL-6, and IL-10) and prostaglandin E2 ($PGE_2$) levels in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. However, root polyphenols showed stronger anti-inflammatory activity than fruit polyphenols. LPS-induced mRNA and protein expressions of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 levels were also decreased, confirming the anti-inflammatory activity. Root polyphenols showed lethal activity against methicillin-resistant Staphy-lococcus aureus (MRSA), carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), and Bacillus anthracis. In contrast, the black raspberry fruit did not demonstrate these properties. These data provide the first demonstration that black raspberry root has potential anti-inflammatory and anti-superbacterial properties that can be exploited as alternatives for use in the food and cosmetic industries and/or as pharmaceuticals.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.14
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• pp.5787-5791
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• 2014

Background: With increasing survival periods and diversification of treatment methods, treatment of critically ill cancer patients has become an important factor influencing patient prognosis. Patients with cancer are at high risk of infections and subsequent complications. This study investigated the incidence and factors contributing to the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Materials and Methods: This retrospective study investigated the incidence of VAP and factors leading to infection in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a cancer center from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013. Results: The incidence of VAP was 2.13 cases per 1,000 days of intubation, and 13 of 288 patients (4.5%) developed VAP. Lung cancer was the most common cancer associated with VAP (N=7, 53.9%), and longer hospital stays and intubation were associated with increased VAP incidence. In the group using a "ventilator bundle," the incidence was 1.14 cases per 1,000 days compared to 2.89 cases per 1,000 days without its use; however, this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.158). Age (${\geq}65$, OR=5.56, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.29-23.95), surgery (OR=3.78, 95%CI=1.05-13.78), and tracheotomy (OR=4.46, 95%CI=1.00-19.85) were significant VAP risk factors. The most common causative organisms were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (N=4, 30.8% each), followed by Acinetobacter baumannii and Candida albicans (N=2, 15.4% each). Conclusions: The incidence of pneumonia among critically ill cancer patients is highest in those with lung cancer, but lower than among non-cancer patients. The length of hospital stay and time on mechanical ventilation are important risk factors for development of VAP. Although not statistically significant, "ventilator bundle" care is an effective intervention that delays or reduces incidence of VAP. Major risk factors for VAP include age (${\geq}65$ years), surgery, and tracheostomy, while fungi, gram-negative bacteria, and multidrug-resistant organisms were identified as the major causative pathogens of VAP in this study.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.1
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• pp.30-36
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• 2012

Background: Patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in intensive care unit (ICU) have a high mortality rate. The routine surveillance cultures obtained previously or an ATS guideline for hospital-acquired pneumonia was used in selecting initial antimicrobials. The object of this study was to compare the respiratory samples before VAP and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) culture. Methods: 54 patients underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy to obtain BAL samples. We reviewed microbiologic specimen results of prior respiratory specimens (pre-VAP) and BAL. Results: Among 51 patients with 54 VAP episodes, 52 microorganisms of pre-VAP and 56 BAL samples were isolated. Pre-VAP included 21.2% of MRSA, and 32.6% of multidrug resistant-Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR-AB). BAL samples comprised 25.0% of MRSA, 26.7% of MDR-AB, 14.3% of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and 3.6% of Klebsiella pneumonia in order. In pre-VAP samples compared to BAL samples, only 35.2% were identical. In BAL samples compared to pre-VAP samples obtained in 5 days before the onset of VAP, only 43.6% were identical. However, among BAL samples compared to pre-VAP samples obtained after more than 5 days, 13.3% were identical (p=0.037). Conclusion: Based on these data, pre-VAP samples obtained prior to 5 day onset of VAP may help to predict the causative microorganisms and to select appropriate initial antimicrobials.