• The Microorganisms and Industry
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.3-11
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• 1987

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a very serious threat to public health in most of the developing countries of the world. It is estimated that around 300 million people worldwide are chronic carriers of this virus and will transmit the disease both vertically and horizontally. Infection by this virus may cause a wide range of clinical manifestations ranging from an asymptomatic infection to liver cirrhosis.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1756-1762
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• 2007

Envelope proteins of virus contain a segment of hydrophobic amino acids, called as fusion peptide, which triggers membrane fusion by insertion into membrane and perturbation of lipid bilayer structure. Potential fusion peptide sequences have been identified in the middle of L or M proteins or at the N-terminus of S protein in the envelope of human hepatitis B virus (HBV). Two 16-mer peptides representing the N-terminal fusion peptide of the S protein and the internal fusion peptide in L protein were synthesized, and their membrane disrupting activities were characterized. The internal fusion peptide in L protein showed higher activity of liposome leakage and hemolysis of human red blood cells than the N-terminal fusion peptide of S protein. Also, the membrane disrupting activity of the extracellular domain of L protein significantly increased when the internal fusion peptide region was exposed to N-terminus by the treatment of V8 protease. These results indicate that the internal fusion peptide region of L protein could activate membrane fusion when it is exposed by proteolysis.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.80-84
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• 1991

We cloned and expressed hepatitis B viral core antigen (HBcAg) gene in E. coli using $P_{L}$ promoter system. For optimal expression of the gene, we undertook the studies on the effects of the distance between Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence and start codon, copy number of repressor gene, induction temperature, and the stability of the core antigen. The results demonstrated that the induction at 37.deg.C was more efficient than at 42.deg.C, and the 11 base pairs (bp) distance between SD sequence and start codon of HBcAg gene was more efficient than the 15 bp distance in E. coli. The copy number of cI857 repressor gene did not influence on the expression of HBcAg, and the expression level of HBcAg in mutant type (low protease activity) and wild type strains was almost the same. The produced core antigen appeared to be HBcAg not HBeAg judged by two different radioimmunoassat (RIA) kits. This result suggested that the antigen was stable in E. coli.i.

• The Journal of the Korean life insurance medical association
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 1985

A study on the occurrence of hepatitis B has been done for 2,680 employees in Daehan Life Insurance Company. The positive rates of HBsAg and anti-HBs were 6.56% and 18.9% respectively. The positive rates of HBsAg and anti-HBs were higher by 2.25% and 2.06% respectively in male than in female. HBsAg and anti-HBs positives were higher at age of 30 to 50 years than other age groups. The drinker group shows higher positive of HBsAg and anti-HBs by 10.44% and 4.26% respectively than non-drinker group. Most of the results of liver function tests in HBsAg positive cases were within reference ranges. HBsAg or anti-HBs positive rate in the family members of HBsAg or anti-HBs positive employees was higher than the over-all positive rates of all subjects, by 14.55% in case of HBsAg and by 2.21% in case of Anti-HBs.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.133-137
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• 1999

This study was undertaken to test for anti-Hepatitis B virus (HBV) activity of the aqueous extracts prepared from Eugenia caryophyllate, Ephedra sinica, Cinnamomum cassia. Aqueous extracts were assayed for the inhibition of HBV replication by measurement of HBV DNA and surface antigen (HBsAg) levels in the extracellular medium of HePG2 2.2.15 cells. All extracts decreased the levels of extracellular HBV virion DNA at concentrations ranging from 128 to 256 $\mu$g/ml and inhibited the production of HBsAg dose-dependently. Our findings suggest that these three hebal medicinal plants may have potential to develop as specific anti-HBV drugs in the future.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-4
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• 2008

Immunizations are among the most cost-effective and widely used public health interventions. This is a report a revision of recommendation of immunization for children by Korean Pediatric Society. Immunization. Vaccines were divided into 4 groups. 1) Vaccines that are recommended to all infants and children (BCG, hepatitis B vaccine, DTaP, Td, Polio vaccine, Japanese encephalitis vaccine, MMR, varicella vaccine, influenza vaccine [6-23 months of age], H. influenzae type b vaccine), 2) those that can be administered to all infants and children, but decision of administration is made by parents (pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, hepatitis A vaccine, influenza vaccine [healthy children ${\geq}24$ months of age], rotavirus vaccine, human papilloma virus vaccine), 3) those that should be given to high risk group (pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine [high risk patients ${\geq}24$ months of age], influenza vaccine [high risk patients ${\geq}24$ months of age], typhoid vaccine), and 4) those administered for control of outbreaks or prevention of emerging infectious diseases. Immunization schedule recommended by Korean Pediatric Society in 2008 is presented.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.362-365
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• 2000

A rapid immunochromatographic assay kit using whole blood to screen hepatitis B surface antigen was developed and evaluated by using sera from 240 patients. The reference diagnosis was based on the results obtained with GENEDIA Anti-HBs Rapid kit which is very similar to the above kit except for the use of serum. The test demonstrated a good correlation with the reference immunochromatographic assay kit, that is, the sensitivity and the specificity of the kit was 100%, respectively. The rapid test kit using whole blood should be more convenient and useful for the diagnosis of hepatitis B virus because the kit does not need machines and time to prepare serum. In addition, this kit is safe from inadvertent infection during sample treatment because the blood is sterilized with hydrogen peroxide, eliminates the procedure required to prepare serum and reduces the possibility of exposure to infectious agents.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.195-198
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• 2001

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase, which possesses the activities of terminal binding, DNA polymerase, reverse transcriptase and RNaseH, has been shown to accomplish viral DNA replication through a pregenomic intermediate. Because the HBV polymerase has not been purified, the expression of HBV polymerase was examined in an E. coli expression system that is under the regulation of arabinose operon. The expressed individual domain containing terminal binding protein, polymerase, or RNaseH turned out to be insoluble. The activities of those domains were not able to be recovered by denaturation and renaturation using urea or guanidine-HCI. The expressed reverse transcriptase containing the polymerase and RNaseH domains became extensively degraded, whereas the proteolysis was reduced in a Ion- mutant. These results indicate that Lon protease proteolyzes the HBV reverse transcriptase expressed in E. coli.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2003.10b
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• pp.162.1-162.1
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• 2003

Endotoxin has been detected by the Limulus amoebocyte lysate (LAL) test. However, aluminum hydroxide used as an adjuvant and adsorbent for the recombinant protein antigen is known to increase efficacy of lipopolysaccharide vaccine in vivo thus interfering endotoxin test. The aim of this study is to determine effect of aluminum hydroxide on the LAL test using the hepatitis B vaccine as a model and to optimize the LAL test condition not to be interfered by aluminum gydroxide. (omitted)

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.233-241
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• 1986

Patients of chronic hepatic diseases(n=107) including chronic hepatitis caused by hepatitis B virus infections(n=31), liver cirrhosis(n=53), and hepatocellular carcinoma(n=23) were examined to ascertain genetic relationship between chronic hepatic diseases and histocompatibility antigen. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were separated from whole blood by the method of Ficoll/Hypaque gradient. Total 54 histocompatibility antigens(class I antigens: 41, class II antigens: 13) were analysed by performing of complement dependent microlymphocytotoxicity method using Terasaki's and Catholic Medical College tissue typing plates. HLA antigen frequencies were compared with those of 661 normal controls. The following results were obtained: 1. HLA antigen frequencies of HLA-Bw46, -Bw76, -Cw1, -Cw6, and HLA-DR8 in chronic hepatitis patients were shown to be higher than those in controls(P<0.01). 2. HLA antigen frequencies of HLA-Bw46, -Cw7(P<0.01), and HLA-B37, -Bw58, -Cw1, -MT1(P < 0.05) in liver cirrhosis patients were shown relatively higher frequencies than those in controls. 3. In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, antigens of HLA-A1, -A26, -Cw3, -Cw7 and HLA-DR6 were dominantly detected. 4. There were negative associations with HLA-Cw4, and -DR4 in patients of chronic hepatic diseases(P < 0.05).