• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.69 no.1
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• pp.52-55
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• 2010

Pulmonary tuberculosis has intermediate prevalence in Korea. It is known that tuberculosis infection predominantly involves the upper lobes, based on the fact that multiplication of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is favored in areas with decreased pulmonary blood flow, impaired lymphatic drainage, and high oxygen tension. We report this case of a 40-year-old man who was brought to our hospital with hemoptysis and dyspnea. Prior to admission, the patient had been in a bedridden state for 15 years due to an injury of the cervical spine 4~5. A 3-Dimensional computed tomography showed predominantly longitudinal distribution of centrilobular nodules along the anterior chest wall, in the left lung. MTB-PCR and AFB culture of bronchial washing fluid revealed pulmonary tuberculosis. This case shows that long-standing supine posture and decreased motion of the anterior chest wall may change the distribution of preferential infection site of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the lung, resulting in a ventral predominance of tuberculosis infection in the quadriplegic patient.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.221-228
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• 1999

The effects of sparp changes of water temperature (WT) on the stree response and physiological change of the cultured olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) were examined by manipulating WT (3 patterns) in a running seawater culture system. In the first group (Exp. I), the WT was decreased from 18$^{\circ}C$ to 11$^{\circ}C$ within 6 hours and increased back to the original WT quickly. WT was decreased from 2$0^{\circ}C$ to 11$^{\circ}C$ within 5 hours and main-tained at 11$^{\circ}C$ for 10 hours. and then increased to 2$0^{\circ}C$ in the second group (Exp. II). In the third group(Exp. III) WT was decreased to 11$^{\circ}C$ within 5 hours (type A) or 10 hrs. (type B). In Exp. I and III, the level of serum cortisol was increased from 2.5$\pm$0.3 ng/ml and 2.6$\pm$0.9 ng/ml to 13.6$\pm$3.0 ng/ml and 12.4$\pm$3.2ng/ml, respectively, with WT decrease. However, no consistent tendency in the change of serum glucose level was shown according to WT decrease. In Exp. III, the glucose level of fish in type A was decreased until 5 hours and increased at 7 hours, then decreased until 12 hours where as the glucose level in type B was decreased until 5 hours and stayed at the level of 15.7 mg/dl. The serum osmolality was reduced with WT decrease and the response of serum electrolytes in this experiment conflicted, and a tendency in total protein, AST and ALT was not found following WT decrease. In conclusion, olive flounder responded to the stress caused by WT decrease and acclimated to this condition when the lower temperature was maintained. But there was no stress response in the blood of olive flounder when WT was increased. On the other hand, the degree of stress response in olive flounder was various according to the range and gradient of WT change.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.60 no.8
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• pp.261-265
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• 2017

Purpose: Studies on cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in immunocompetent children are lacking, and minimal information is available in the medical literature on hepatic manifestations and complications of CMV. The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical characteristics, laboratory data, and prognosis of children with CMV hepatitis, and to investigate its prevalence at a single medical center in Korea over a 10-year period. Methods: One hundred thirty-two children diagnosed with CMV infection based on specific markers (anti-CMV IgM, CMV polymerase chain reaction in blood and urine, or CMV culture of urine) were included in the study. Clinical and biochemical characteristics, immunological markers, and outcomes of hepatic CMV infection were determined. Results: The median age of patients (n=132) was 8.5 months (range, 14 days-11.3 years). Peak total bilirubin and alanine aminotransferase levels in serum ranged from 0.11-21.97 mg/dL, and 5-1,517 IU/L, respectively. Alanine aminotransferase remained elevated from 2-48 weeks. Jaundice was the most common clinical feature of hepatic CMV infection during infancy. The hematologic findings revealed anemia, leukocytosis, and monocytosis in CMV-infected patients. All participants recovered without administration of ganciclovir. Conclusion: In children with CMV hepatitis, fever was the most common symptom at presentation, and jaundice was the most common clinical feature of hepatic CMV infection in infants younger than 3 months of age. Hepatic CMV infection in immunocompetent children is often a self-limited illness that does not require antiviral therapy, as most patients in this study had favorable outcomes.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.415-421
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• 2016

The drug-resistance of malaria parasites is the main problem in the disease control. The huge Brazilian biodiversity promotes the search for new compounds, where the animal kingdom is proving to be a promising source of bioactive compounds. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activity of the compounds obtained from the toad venoms of Brazilian Amazon. Toad venoms were collected from the secretion of Rhinella marina and Rhaebo guttatus in Mato Grosso State, Brazil. The powder was extracted at room temperature, yielding 2 extracts (RG and RM) and a substance ('1') identified as a bufadienolide, named telocinobufagin. Growth inhibition, intraerythrocytic development, and parasite morphology were evaluated in culture by microscopic observations of Giemsa-stained thin blood films. Cytotoxicity was determined against HepG2 and BGM cells by MTT and neutral red assays. The 2 extracts and the pure substance ('1') tested were active against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strain, demonstrating lower $IC_{50}$ values. In cytotoxic tests, the 2 extracts and substance '1' showed pronounced lethal effects on chloroquine-resistant P. faciparum strain and low cytotoxic effect, highlighting toad parotoid gland secretions as a promising source of novel lead antiplasmodial compounds.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.134-139
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• 2020

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a part of the normal skin flora of humans. However, it can cause serious infections in people exposed to foreign bodies or in immunocompromised patients. A 13-year-old boy was hospitalized with fever and myalgia. Painful nodular lesions were detected on the scalp, arms, and legs. Pancytopenia and blasts were present in the peripheral blood. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Magnetic resonance imaging of the whole body showed multiple peripheral rim-enhancing, cyst-like lesions. Ultrasonography showed echogenic nodules inside the cystic lesions in the intramuscular space of the arms and legs. Therefore, cysticercosis was strongly suggested initially. However, an abscess was confirmed on sono-guided biopsy and S. epidermidis was isolated from a microbial culture of the tissue. We report a case of multiple disseminated lesions caused by S. epidermidis in a leukemia patient, initially mistaken for cysticercosis.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.89-95
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• 2012

Background: As Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia has increased in Korea, its relevance to infants, toddlers, and adolescents has magnified as well as. However, it is difficult to perform the serological test and PCR test routinely for diagnosis in actual clinical practice. Thus, the authors conducted this study to help clinicians do presumptive diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia using clinical, radiological, and hematological findings. Methods: The study population consisted of 224 children between 1 month and 14 years old, hospitalized for radiographically confirmed pneumonia. Patients were divided into two groups of 100 children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, as diagnosed using the ELISA method. Groups with negative result in Mycoplasma IgM antibody test were classified into the viral group (98 patients with respiratory virus) and the bacterial group (46 patients with the bacteria detected in the blood sputum culture or antibiotic treatment except macrolide improved the patient's condition). These groups were compared and analyzed using clinical, hematological, and radiographic differences and scoring system. Results: Clinical, hematological, and radiographic characteristics of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia have shown the intermediate level results between bacterial pneumonia and viral pneumonia. In terms of scoring system, the mean score of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia was 4.23, which was the intermediate level between bacterial pneumonia (mean score=6.67) and viral pneumonia (mean score=1.48). Conclusion: Results suggest that the combination of the scoring system information can increase the accuracy in the diagnosis even if they may have difficulties on diagnosis, because clinical manifestations, hematological, and radiographic findings are nonspecific.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 2000

Soeumin Sibjeundaibo-tang (SJDBT) and Soyangin Sibimijihwang-tang (SMJHT) have been used traditionally to improve the systemic blood circulation and biological energy production in the patients with circulatory and neuronal diseases. The object of this study is to determine the protective effects of SJDBT and SMJHT extracts on the spontaneous and glutamate-induced neuronal damages in cultured cells derived from mice cerebral cortex. At 14 days after beginning the cultures, the activity of lactate dehydrogenase released into the culture media was significantly decreased by treatment of cerebroneuronal cells with SJDBT and SMJHT (0.1 mg/ml) for 7 days. By comparison with the normal cells, cerebroneuronal morphology was dramatically changed by treatment of glutamate (1 mM) for 12 hrs, and this was conspicuously recovered by pretreatment of cerebroneural cells with SJDBT and SMJHT (0.1-1.0 mg/ml) for 2 days. Moreover, glutamated-induced DNA fragmentation was also protected by pretreatment of cerebroneuronal cells with those extracts. These results suggest that naturally occurring and glutamate-induced degeneration of cultured cerebrocortical cells may be related, in part, to the process of apoptotic cell death. The pharmacological properties of SJDBT and SMJHT extracts to improve cerebroneuronal degeneration may be considered as one of useful medicines that can prevent cerebrocortical impairments resulted from age-dependent and excitotoxicity-induced neuronal degeneration in human brain.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.383-389
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• 2007

Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (hGM-CSF) regulates proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells and modulates function of the mature hematopoietic cells. In the previous study, we reported that hGM-CSF could be produced in transgenic rice cell suspension culture, termed rhGM-CSF. In the present study we examined the single and repeated dose toxicity of rice cells-derived hGM-CSF in SD rats. During single dose toxicity study for 7 days, there were no any toxic effects at any dose of from 10 to $1000{\mu}g/kg$. The lethal dose ($LD_{50}$) was not found in this range. Moreover, repeated dose toxicity study of 14-days period and at the doses of 50 and $200{\mu}g/kg$ (i. v.) of rhGM-CSF did not show any changes in food and water intake. There were also no significant changes in both body and organ weights between the control and the test groups. The hematological and blood biochemical parameters were statistically not different in all the groups. These results suggest that rhGM-CSF has no toxicity in SD rats.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.315-320
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• 2008

Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (hGM-CSF) is a glycoprotein and hematopoietic growth factors that regulates the proliferation of myeloid precursor cells and activates mature granulocytes and macrophages. In a previous study, we reported that hGM-CSF could be produced in transgenic rice cell suspension culture, termed rhGM-CSF. In the present study, we examined the repeated dose toxicity of rhGM-CSF in SD rats. The repeated dose toxicity study was performed at each dose of 50 and 200 ${\mu}g/kg$ subcutaneous administration of rhGM-CSF everyday for 28-days period. The results did not show any changes in food and water intake. There were also no significant changes in both body and organ weights between the control and the tested groups. The hematological and blood biochemical parameters were statistically not different in all groups. These results suggest that rhGM-CSF may show no repeated dose toxicity in SD rats under the conditions.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.197-201
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• 1997

Plant seed oil-bodies or oleosomes ate the repository of the neutral lipid stored in seeds. These organelles in many oilseeds may comprise half of the total cellular volume. Oleosomes are surrounded by a half-unit membrane of phospholipid into which are embedded proteins called oleosins. Oleosins are present at high density on the oil-body surface and after storage proteins comprise the most abundant proteins in oilseeds. Oleosins are specifically targeted and anchored to oil-bodies after co-translation on the ER. It has been shown that the amino-acid sequences responsible for this unique targeting reside primarily in the central hydrophobic tore of the oleosin polypeptide. In addition, a signal-like sequence is found near the junction of the hydrophobic domain and ann N-terminal hydrophilic / amphipathic domain. This "signal" which is uncleaved is also essential for correct targeting. Oil-bodies and their associated oleosins may be recovered by floatation centrifugation of aqueous seed extracts. This simple partitioning step results in a dramatic enrichment for oleosins in the oil-body fraction. In the light of these properties, we reasoned that it would be feasible to create fusion proteins on oil-bodies comprising oleosins and an additional valuable protein of pharmaceutical or industrial interest. It was further postulated that if these proteins were displayed on the outer surface of oil-bodies, it would be possible to release them from the purified oil-bodies using chemical or proteolytic cleavage. This could result in a simple means of recovering high-value protein from seeds at a significant (i.e. commercial) scale. This procedure has been successfully reduced to practice for a wide variety of proteins of therapeutic, industrial and food no. The utillity of the method will be discussed using a blood anticoagulant, hirudin, and industrial enzymes as key examples.