• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.120-123
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• 2011

A total of 30 water samples were collected from 30 different public baths in Seoul, Korea. Contamination of public bath water by waterborne pathogens can cause disease outbreaks and contribute to increase background rates of disease. Pathogens in water was filtered by nitrocellulose membrane with $0.45{\mu}m$ pore size. The membrane filters were analyzed by both cultivation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of partial 16S rRNA gene. Various microorganisms including 4 Escherichia coli/Shigella spp. 1 Salmonella spp. 3 Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 2 Mycobacterium spp. were identified by reverse blot hybridization assay (REBA). PCR-REBA was able to identify many bacterial genera in one assay. Our results suggest that appropriate hygiene practice and continuous monitoring is needed for reducing health risk associated with public bath houses.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.45-50
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• 2021

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are a typical group of microorganisms, and the recent advances in laboratory technology and medicine has dramatically modified their significance in medical practice. CoNS, which were previously classified as normal bacterial flora, have recently been reported to be associated with serious infectious diseases, such as surgical wound infection or periprosthetic joint infection. Representative CoNS include Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. haemolyticus, and S. saprophyticus, which are known to cause serious problems in biomaterial-based and prosthetic device infections, as well as to cause simple urinary tract infections in sexually active women. Over the last decade, the clinical isolation rate of CoNS has been increasing, and antibiotic resistance has also been occurring. This review aimed to investigate the incidence of CoNS infection and to use the results as basic data for the management of CoNS, with a focus on the isolation rate and antibiotic resistance in clinical surgery.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.46-51
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• 2012

We analyzed the concentration of Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (GGT), total protein (TP), albumin, total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride in sera of patients (n=455) aged 60 years and older with hyperglycemia (${\geq}120mg/dL$ in serum). The average concentration of biochemicals in patient group was compared with those in reference group. Our data showed that the average concentrations of AST and TC in sera of senior patients with hyperglycemia were significantly increased by 27.5% (P<0.05) and 82% (P<0.05) in total group, 38.5% (P<0.05) and 75.0% (P<0.05) in sixty years' group, 16.0% (P<0.05) and 89.7% (P<0.05) in seventy years' group and 27.0% (P<0.05) and 79.5% (P<0.05) in eighty years' group, respectively. Patients with hyperglycemia showed a significant decrease in albumin level by 6.7% (total group, P<0.05), 4.5% (sixty years' group, P<0.05), 8.9% (seventy years' group, P<0.05) and 4.5% (eighty years' group, P<0.05), respectively. In conclusion, the high concentration of glucose in the senior patients with hyperglycemia may be a cause of severe liver function and lipid metabolism disorder.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.164-169
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• 2018

The development of teaching models to strengthen practical education and actively participate in the classes of students is now required in recent education situations. This study examined the participation and satisfaction level of students' classes after applying a teaching model-integrated hospital and school laboratory (named L2L). A total of 33 students who took the subject of a clinical microbiology experiments were involved in this study. Each group representative participating in a pre-class field exercise in the hospital microbiology laboratory was asked to conduct the experiment. After applying the L2L teaching models, the academic self-efficacy ($2.87{\pm}0.58{\rightarrow}3.38{\pm}0.55$), class participation ($2.60{\pm}0.92{\rightarrow}3.62{\pm}0.78$), and class satisfaction ($2.48{\pm}1.01{\rightarrow}3.85{\pm}0.87$) increased significantly (P<0.05). This means that pre-class field exercises created interest in the student's class and boosted self-confidence, leading to increased participation and satisfaction for the class. In conclusion, the L2L teaching model is an effective teaching method to enhance the practical training for preliminary clinical laboratory technologists.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.161-170
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• 2017

This study aimed at characterizing policy directions to foster competent medical technologists by analyzing the opinions of professors and medical technologists regarding university education and national licensing systems. An online survey questionnaire was distributed to 255 professors and 4,000 medical technologists in August of 2016. Fifty-nine professors (23%) and 1,099 medical technologists (27.7%) responded to the survey. The results were evaluated using descriptive statistics and comparative analysis. Professors and medical technologists agreed that there needs to be an improvement and standardization in both education at universities and practical training at hospitals. Moreover, both groups also thought that it was necessary to reform practical examinations and make improvements in the current licensing system. According to the survey results, professors and medical technologists thought that, the improvement of the quality of university education and hospital practical training should be essential, and the reform of existing national licensing examination should be necessary.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.320-330
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• 2018

This study analyzed the curriculum and clinical practicum of the department of clinical laboratory science in Korea. The 2017 educational curricula of all 3-year and 4-year universities were analyzed. Clinical practice was conducted by a questionnaire. As a result of curriculum analysis, the 3-year curriculum was able to grasp the curriculum that focused on the national examinations of medical technologists, and the 4-year curriculum was open to a variety of subjects reflecting the changes in the future, but only at a few universities. In addition, the autonomous enrollment application made it possible to take a national examination without enrolling in courses that students find difficult in major courses. In the case of clinical practice, it was difficult to standardize in various practical institutes, practice periods, and practice credits. Therefore, it will be necessary to standardize the composition of the credits according to the duration of clinical practice and the duration of education. Moreover, is necessary to revise the curriculum in consideration of medical technologist job analysis and clinical field, and it will be necessary to standardize the curriculum and clinical practice model through the Medical Technologist Evaluation Center.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.22-25
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• 2006

Ochrobactrum anthropi, previously known as Achromobacter species biotypes 1 and 2 (CDC groups Vd-1, Vd-2), belong to the groups of non-Enterobacteriaceae- nonfermentative Gram negative bacilli. Achromobacter is not presently a recognized genus. Achromobacter xylosoxidans has been transferred to genus Alcaligenes as A. xylosoxidans subsp. xylosoxidans, and "Achromobacter" sp. group Vd has been named Ochrobactrum anthropi. O. anthropi was isolated from a blood culture. Organisms were identified as O. anthropi by use of the biochemical test and the VITEK 2(bioMerieux, USA). The Organism was susceptible only to colistin, imipenem, meropenem, and tetracycline, but were resistant to amikacin, aztreonam, cefepime, ceftazidime, cefpirome, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, isepamcin, netilmicin, pefloxacin, piperacillin, piperacillin/tazobactam, ticarcillin, ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, tobramycin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. We report the clinical and microbiologic characteristics of O. anthropi infection in the patient. This is the first case of O. anthropi infection after using a plant as medicine at Chosun University Hospital.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.223-229
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• 2017

Fungal infections by human pathogenic fungi are increasing globally in elderly, children and immune suppressed or deficient patients. Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the well-known pathogenic fungi and causes aspergilloses in human world widely. However, current identification and classification methods based on its phenotypic characteristics still have limitations. Therefore, currently, molecular biological tools using their DNA sequences are used for genotype identification and classification. In the present study, in order to analyze genetic variations of A. fumigatus clinical isolates, a total of six housekeeping genes were amplified by PCR using specific primer pairs and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) assay. Results from phylogenetic tree analysis showed that most A. fumigatus strains (88.9%) from respiratory specimens were classified into cluster A and B, and approximately half of A. fumigatus strains (46%) from non-respiratory specimens were classified into cluster C and D. Although the sample size was limited, genetic characteristics of A. fumigatus clinical isolates according to their origins were very similar and well-correlated with other clinical data.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.194-204
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• 2011

This study was carried out to compare the histopathological differences of liver lesions in carbon tetrachloride ($CCI_4$), dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), thioacetamide (TAA) and bile duct ligation (BDL)-induced rats. $CCl_4$, DMN and TAA were administered intraperitoneally and conducted bile duct ligation for 4 weeks to induce hepatic fibrosis. Indices of liver cell injury (steatosis, hydropic degeneration, bile duct hyperplasia, hemorrhage & hemosiderin deposition), the extent of liver fibrosis (fibrotic area) and the rate of regeneration (number of PCNA-positive cells) were investigated in each group. Liver tissues were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (HE), sirius red, prussian blue and immunostained with ${\alpha}$-smooth muscle actin (${\alpha}$-SMA), transforming growth factor-${\beta}1$ (TGF-${\beta}1$), proliferative cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and quantified using a computerized image analysis system. Liver cell steatosis was significantly increased in $CCl_4$ and TAA groups, and hydropic degeneration and bile duct hyperplasia were significantly increased in TAA and BDL groups when compared with that in normal control, respectively. Fibrosis area was significantly increased in all four groups, especially in $CCl_4$ group. Correlation between ${\alpha}$-SMA and TGF-${\beta}1$ expressions in four groups was good. Hemorrhage area in liver parenchyma was significantly increased in DMN group only when compared with that in normal control, while hemosiderin deposition area was significantly increased in TAA and BDL groups as well as DMN group. The Number of PCNA-positive cells was significantly increased in all four groups, especially in TAA group. These results indicate that the duration and methods of hepatotoxic drug treatment are very important factors to make plans for animal experimentation on the induction of hepatic fibrogenesis in rats.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.52-64
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• 2023

This study aimed to examine the types and characteristics of otorhinolaryngology examinations performed by clinical laboratory technologists and to investigate the working environment and scope of work of otorhinolaryngology laboratory personnel using online questionnaires. Based on the research results, constructive policy measures for the University-Association-Society were also presented. Most of the survey respondents were in their 40s (34.1%). Females accounted for 80.2% of respondents and 30.8% of them had a career spanning 15 years or more. We found that laboratory personnel had a wide scope of work, high work stress and frequently suffered occupational diseases. We observed that, to reduce stress and increase satisfaction, an expansion of the workforce was necessary. Compared to other occupations, 72% of clinical laboratory technologists occupied more senior positions, occupational distribution depended on senior positions (P<0.001). Clinical laboratory technologists performed about 26 types of otorhinolaryngology examinations. The most frequent test performed daily was pure tone audiometry, and polysomnography took the longest test time, with an average of 8 hours. In conclusion, clinical laboratory technologists were in charge of various specialized otorhinolaryngology examinations. Considering the importance of clinical laboratory technologists in otorhinolaryngology, the University-Association-Society should put in additional effort into nurturing otorhinolaryngology examination experts.