• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.169-175
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• 1989

To study the role of mutant precore region in expression and secretion of hapatitis B viral core antigen, we have cloned core antigen gene(HBc) with or without precore region in geterologous expression vectors containing SV40 promoter, yeast promoter, and lambda $P_{L}$ promoter. In COS cells transfected with plasmid containing C-gene with precore region, antigens were detected in both cell extract and cultured medium. However, in the cells transfected with plasmids containing C-gene without precore or with mutated precore region by one nucleotide (T) addition at the nucleotide 1,821, HBcAg was detected only in cell extracts. These results support that the mutation by one nucleotide addition shifted the initiation codon of precore region to 53 nucleotides upward and the elongated precore region also played a major role in the secretion of HBcAg in mammalian cells. In the case of yeast and E. coli, HBcAg was detected only in cell extracts in spite of the presence of precore region, which suggest that precore region could not affect HBcAg secretion in these system.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 1990

A DNA sequence encoding the adr subtype preS2 region of hepatitis B virus envelope protein was fused to 5' end of lacZ gene yielding a plasmid pTSZ, in order to produce a preS2-$\beta$-galactosidase fusion protein. Serial deletions from 3' and 5' end of preS2 were constructed in plasmids, which were expressed and their antigenicities were examined with the monoclonal antibody H8. Deletions from amino and carboxy terminal to certain points did not affect the antigenicity, but the longer deletions destroyed the antigenicity. End points of deleted preS2 sequence were determined by DNA sequencing. As a result, each end of preS2 epitope was located in the region of amino acid residue 130-132 and 140-142, respectively. Residue 143 may be supplementary for antigenic epitope since the deletion from carboxy terminal to residue 143 revealed partial defect of antigenicity. In the interval of antigenic epitope the amino acid differences between adr and adw2 subtype occurred ar residue 130, 132, and 141. This result indicated that one or more of the three residues are responsible for the binding specificity of monoclonal antibody H8 to adr subtype preS2 fusion protein.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.339-346
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• 1995

Assays for HBsAg, HBV DNA, anti-HBc and anti-HBs of 285 units of packed red blood cells supplied by Taegu Red Cross Blood Center were performed to evaluate the correlation between the prevalence of HBV DNA and the serologic markers for hepatitis B virus. None of 285 plasma samples was positive for HBsAg, however, HBV DNA were detected by polymerase chain reaction in 2 samples which both presented only with anti-HBc positivity. Of 204 samples tested for anti-HBs, 96 samples(47.1%) were positive and among 216 samples tested for anti-HBc, 80 samples(37.0%) were positive. Of 193 samples tested for both anti-HBs and anti-HBc, 80(41.1%) were all negative and 48(24.9%) were positive on both tests. Those samples which showed positivity only to anti-HBc were 25(13.0%). Considering the above results, transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B virus infection could be prevented by discarding anti-HBc positive blood, however, that may bring insufficient supply of donor bloods in the country like Korea where the prevalence of anti-HBc is high. Anti-HBc positive blood unequivocally positive for anti-HBs should be considered noninfectious for HBV and should be allowed to be transfused. It would reduce the amount of discarding donor blood as the routine blood donor screening tests presently used at Korea Red Cross Blood Center supplemented by anti-HBs and anti-HBc testing.

• The Journal of Korean Society of Virology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.129-135
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• 1997

Serum samples from 123 males and 123 females collected by age in 1996 were analyzed for antibodies against surface antigen of Hepatitis B virus and C22-3, C200 antigens of Hepatitis C virus. Sera from the children under the age of 10 showed 30% seropositivity to the surface antigen of Hepatitis B virus, 33.3% in $10{\sim}19$ year group, 20% in $20{\sim}29$ year group, 17.6% in $30{\sim}39$ year group, 3.3% in $40{\sim}49$ year group, 5.9% in $50{\sim}59$ year group, 8,3% in $60{\sim}69$ year group, 2.9% in $70{\sim}79$ year group, but antibody could not found in $80{\sim}86$ year group. 12 out of 123 male sera were positive, 19 out of 123 female sera were positive and overall rate of positivity of antibody against surface antigen of Hepatitis B virus was 12.6%. Serum samples from peoples under the age of 30 had not antibody against C22-3, C200 antigens of Hepatitis C virus. The positivity rate was 2.9% in $30{\sim}39$ year group. 5 out of 30 sera from $40{\sim}49$ year age group were positive, and 3 positive sera showed extremely high titer (1:524,288) but the titers of two remaining sera were 1:32, 1:8,192 respectively. 5.9% was positive in $50{\sim}59$ year group, 8.3% in $60{\sim}69$ year group, 11.8% in $70{\sim}79$ year group but all negative in $80{\sim}86$ year group 6 out of 123 male sera were positive (4.9%), 9 out of 123 female sera were positive (7.3%). Overall rate of positivity of antibody against C22-3, C200 antigen of Hepatitis C virus was 6.1 %. None out of 246 sera had both antibodies against Hepatitis B virus and Hepatitis C virus.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.529-538
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• 2016

Objectives: The purpose of this case study is to report the efficacy and safety of treatment with Korean medicine of a patient with HBeAg-positive chronic viral hepatitis B.Methods: The patient took Korean medicine (mainly Injinchunggan-tang-gamibang) from July 20th, 2010, to March 14th, 2016, without any antiviral or interferon therapy. Changes to laboratory records, abdomen ultrasonography, and clinical symptoms were reviewed.Results: The laboratory records showed that AST, ALT, and HBV DNA had decreased to normal ranges, and HBeAg showed seroconversion. Clinical symptoms also improved after taking Korean medicine.Conclusion: The results suggest that treatment with Korean medicine and without antiviral or interferon therapy could be effective for HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.19 no.1 s.19
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• pp.91-99
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• 1986

To determine relationships of supposed risk factors to positives for HBsAg and Anti-HBs and also relationships of subjective symptoms to positives for HBsAg and Anti-HBs, study of 658 people working in the hospital, university, bank and other office was performed. Positive rate for HBsAg was about 7.9% and positive rate for Anti-HBs was about 20.0%. Odds ratio of HBsAg was high and significant in individuals who are married and who have previous hepatitis B(P<0.001), medical personnel in family, more than 4 people in a room(0.01

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.20 no.1 s.21
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• pp.114-119
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• 1987

The author investigated the effect of some variables such as age, sex and the experience of past vaccination on the validity of PHA. The changing pattern of the validity with the change of PHA diagnostic criteria, and the relationship between PHA test result and RIA Ratio Unit were also studied. The results obtained were as follow; 1) No statistically significant difference was found in sensitivity, specificity and negative predictability by sex, but positive predictability was significantly higher in male than that in female. 2) Positive predictability was shown to become higher with the increase of age and nagative predictability was found to be significally different among age groups, but no statistically significant difference was found in sensitivity and specificity by age group. 3) Significantly low specificity and high positive predictability were found in past vaccined group, but no statistically significant difference was found in sensitivity and negative predictability between past vaccined group and non-vaccined group. 4) False negative cases by PHA were found to be the weak positive reactors by RIA and false positive rate of PHA was as high as 46.3 per cent. 5) Sensitivity and specificity of PHA at the diagnostic criteria of HBsAb titer 1:2 were 98.4% and 53.8% respectively, but after increasing the HBsAb titer to 1:64 as the diagnostic criteria the results were 60.0% and 95.6% respectively.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.238-243
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• 1999

This study was undertaken to test for anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) activity of the aqueous extracts prepared from 9 medicinal plants of Korea (Cornus officinalis, Caesalpinia sappan, Rubus coreanus, Lycium chinense, Artemisia capillaris, Isatis tinctoria, Phyllanthus urinaria, Lysimachia christinae, Lonicera japonica). Aqueous extracts were tested for cytotoxicity and assayed for inhibition of HBV replication by measurement of HBV DNA and surface antigen (HBsAg) levels in the extracellular medium f HepG2 2.2.15 cells. The extract from Rubus coreanus, Artemisia capillaris, Phyllanthus urinaria decreased the levels of extracellular HBV virion DNA at concentrations ranging from 128 to $256\;{\mu}g/ml$ and inhibited the production fo HBsAg dose-dependently without showing cytotoxicity. Our findings suggest that these three hebal medicinal plants may have potential to develop as specific anti-HBV drugs in the future.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.203-210
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• 1984

Primary screening test for serum HBsAg by RPHA from 4,805 persons who were clinically well through preemployment examination for the period of one calendar year of 1983 revealed 476 (9.9%) positive individual carriers. There were no significant differences in distribution of positives of serum HBsAg by age group, profession, or province area. Among positives of serum HBsAg, 356 (74.8%) showed normal findings and 120 (25.2%) showed abnormal findings in liver function test, respectively. Radioimmunoassay was done in 169 positives of HBsAg and RIA detected 10 negative persons who were positive by RPHA revealing 5.9% of false positive rate and 94.1% of sensitivity of RPHA. In RIA profile of HBV markers, pattern I (HBsAg+, Anti-HBe+) was 46.6%, pattern II (HBsAg+, HBeAg+) was 33.3%, pattern III (HBsAg+only) was 18.3%, pattern IV (HBsAg+, HBeAg+, Anti-HBs+) was 1.3%, pattern V (HBsAg+, HBeAg+, Anti-HBe+) was 0.6%, respectively. There were no positives of HBsAg among 10 persons who were negatives of HBsAg by RIA.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.106-113
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• 1994

Dental professions are considered high risk for contracting hepatitis infection. In Korea, many patients are hepatitis B virus carriers. HBV are most efficiently transmitted by blood. Root canal treatment, as in cases of acute pulpitis always accompanied by contaminated blood. Therefore it is absolutely necessary to use irrigation solutions having strong antiviral effect for prophylaxis both dental personnel and patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antiviral effect of seven root canal irrigation solutions by radioimmunometric test. The solutions were 5% sodium phyochlorite, 5% cresol, 2% glutaraldehyde, 3% hydrogen peroxide, 0.05% chlorohexidine, 10% iodine, and 70% isoprophyl alcohol. Each irrigation solutions was mixed with serum preparated from HBsAg positive patients and sera were diluted to 1:1. 1:4. 1:20 and 1:100. Percentage of radioactivity was assayed with AUK(Sorbin biomedica, Italy) and COBRA(Packwood Instrument company, USA). Sodium hypochlorite and glutaraldehyde showed most strong antivral activity against HBsAg. Isoprophyl alcohol had moderate antiviral effect and the effect and the effect was increased especially in 1:4 solution. Hydrogen peroxide exihibited very weak aintivral activity. Cresol, chlorohexidine, and iodine exhibited little antiviral activity.