• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.449-458
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• 2003

Background : The poor prognostic factors of far-advanced pulmonary tuberculosis(FAPTB) are lymphocytopenia in the peripheral blood(PB)(< $1,000/mm^3$) and $T_4$-cell count ${\leq}500/mm^3$. However, the cause of PB lymphocytopenia in FAPTB is unclear. The aim of this study was to analyze the lymphocyte proportion and cytokines of the bone marrow(BM) in FAPTB patients with peripheral lymphocytopenia in order to clarify whether the limiting step of the lymphocytopenia occurs in production, differentiation, or circulation. Methods : This study included patients with FAPTB between August 1999 and August 2002 who visited Gachon Medical School Gil Medical Center. The exclusion criteria were old age(${\geq}65years$), cachexia or a low body weight, shock, hematologic diseases, or BM involvement of tuberculosis. The distributions of cells in PB and BM were analyzed and compared to the control group. The interleukin(IL)-2, IL-7, IL-10, TNF-${\alpha}$, Interferon-${\gamma}$, and TGF-${\beta}$ levels in the BM were measured by ELISA. Result : Thirteen patients(male : female=9:4) were included and the mean age was $42{\pm}12$years. The proportion and count of the lymphocytes in the PB were significantly lower in the FAPTB group ($7.4{\pm}3.0%$, $694{\pm}255/mm^3$ vs. $17.5{\pm}5.8%$, $1,377{\pm}436/mm^3$, each p=0.0001 and 0.002). The proportion of immature lymphocyte in the BM showed a decreasing trend in the FAPTB group($9{\pm}4%$ vs. $12{\pm}3%$, p=0.138). The IL-2($26.0{\pm}29.1$ vs. $112.2{\pm}42.4pg/mL$, p=0.001) and IL-10($3.4{\pm}4.7$ vs. $12.0{\pm}8.0pg/mL$, p=0.031) levels in the BM were significantly lower in the FAPTB group than those in control. The levels of the other cytokines in FAPTB group and control were similar. Conclusion : These results suggest that the cause of lymphocytopenia in PB is associated with a abnormality IL-2 and IL-10 production in the BM. More study will be needed to define the mechanism of a decreased reservoir in BM.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.287-295
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• 2016

Involuntary physical activity induced by the avoidance of electrical shock leads to improved endurance exercise capacity in animals. However, it remains unknown whether voluntary stand-up physical activity (SPA) without forced simulating factors improves endurance exercise capacity in animals. We examined the effects of SPA on body weight, cardiac function, and endurance exercise capacity for 12 weeks. Twelve male Sprague-Dawley rats (aged 8 weeks, n=6 per group) were randomly assigned to a control group (CON) or a voluntary SPA group. The rats were induced to perform voluntary SPA (lifting a load equal to their body weight), while the food height (18.0 cm) in cages was increased progressively by 3.5 every 4 weeks until it reached 28.5 cm for 12 weeks. The SPA group showed a lower body weight compared to the CON group, but voluntary SPA did not affect the skeletal muscle and heart weights, food intake, and echocardiography results. Although the SPA group showed higher grip strength, running time, and distance compared to the CON group, the level of irisin, corticosterone, genetic expression of mitochondrial biogenesis, and nuclei numbers were not affected. These findings show that voluntary SPA without any forced stimuli in rats can effectively reduce body weight and enhance endurance exercise capacity, suggesting that it may be an important alternative strategy to enhance endurance exercise capacity.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.99-107
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• 1992

Effects of the indigenous Vesicular-arbuscular mycurrhizal fungi(VAMF) on early growth response of greenhouse grown crops were experimented. This study was done to evaluate the benefit of indigenous VAMF inoculation on the early growth and the subsequent growth after transplanting of some crops such as cucumber, tomato, hot pepper, eggplant, and melon. Leaf area, shoot dry weight, and plant length of mycorrhizal greenhouse crops showed the tendency of significant or no significant increase over control plants receiving no inoculation. The levels of VA mycorrhizal colonization were increased with plant growth, and infection rates of horticultural crop except hot pepper around one week after transplanting were decreased, while that of 8 weeks after emergence of mycorrhizal seedlings were increased again and infected by around 50% at harvesting time. In spore densities in the rhizosphere soil of craps experimented, the number of spore ranged from $72.7{\pm}26.3$ to $100{\pm}10.3g^1$ on dried soil basis and high density showed in both cucumber and tomato. Total nitrogen contents in shoots were lower in the mycorrhizal plants than non-mycorrhizal one, whereas P uptake in mycorrhizal hot pepper and tomato were highly ramarkable. The K contents in the shoots of mycorrhizal cucumber and eggplent were highly enhanced. Inoculation of the indigenous VAMF enhanced shoot Ca and Mg in both tomoto and melon. The contents of Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu in shoots of mycorrhizal crops were higher than non-mycorrhizal plants and vice versa in case of eggplent. Inoculation of the indigenous VAMF to horticultural crops were effective for alleviation of transplanting shock, and pretransplanting infection improved subsequent growth by reducing the time required for establishment of a functional mycorrhizal symbiosis following transplanting.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.84-90
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• 2009

We incubated marine columnar sediments at $25^{\circ}C$ for 230 days to simulate the responses of phosphorus in the sediment which was exposed to freshwater. The incubation was composed of three different treatments (FW: freshwater, FWA: freshwater under anoxic condition, and SW: seawater as a Control). Six particulate fractions of phosphorus in sediment were obtained through sequential extraction and, for comparison, phosphate concentrations in porewater and superlying water were also determined. After the incubation, evidently higher concentrations of phosphate were found in FW and FWA compared to SW. Mass extinction of living organisms in marine sediment from freshwater shock and consequent decay of their corps probably contributed such high phosphate spike in the overlying water. Higher concentrations of BD-P(lron-bound P) were found in FW compared to SW. After exposure to the freshwater, we could determine that penetration depth of dissolved oxygen in marine sediment will be deeper. A result of increases of ferrous compounds in freshwater where contained less sulfide has been obtained. Because of these phenomena, BD-P was increased in FW. On the contrary, BD-P was decreased in FWA since poor dissolved oxygen concentration. In FWA, total amount of Leachable P(SUM of LOP) has been remarkably increased through the experiment, which strongly suggested the easy conversion of the leachable P into reactive P. This experiment has shown that most of diverse P species in marine sediment were leachable under freshwater and low oxygen condition. Therefore reclamation of natural tidalfalt and consequent freshwater introduction seems to trigger the conversion of diverse P-species to leachable P in the marine sediments, which will exert high benthic load of phosphate to the overlying water.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.55-66
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• 1998

Pathophysiological mechanism of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is not fully understood. Major clinical findings of HFRS patients are widespread hemorrhage, acute renal failure and shock. Basic lesion is vascular injury with microvascular hemorrhage and relatively little inflammation. According to autopsy findings, renal medulla shows focal hemorrhage, tubular necrosis and interstitial mononuclear infiltrates. The predominant cell type in the renal and pulmonary interstitium is a fibroblast and it participates in the healing process at the injury site by secreting a large amount of extracellular matrix proteins. Cultured human lung fibroblasts and Mongolian gerbil fibroblasts were known to be good host cells for the hantaan virus. It is possible that not only the endothelial cell but also the fibroblast is a target of Hantaan virus and the fibroblast might be involved in the pathogenesis and the healing process in HFRS. Integrins are adhesion molecules, and act as receptors for many extracellular matrix proteins. Recently, there are many reports that cell surface integrins influence on some viral infections or reversely viruses influence on the expression of integrins. The ${\alpha}_5{\beta}_1$ integrin is a major receptor for the fibronectin which is an important extracellular matrix protein secreted by fibroblasts. In this study, the role of ${\alpha}_5{\beta}_1$ integrin in the infection of Hantaan virus was examined by using anti-${\alpha}_5{\beta}_1$, integrin, anti-${\alpha}_5$ integrin and anti-${\beta}_1$, integrin antibodies in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) and Mongolian gerbil fibroblasts(MGF). The treatment of anti-${\alpha}_5{\beta}_1$, integrin antibody in CEF reduced the virion titers 26.8% and the amount of nucleocapsid N protein 32.6% when compared with control CEF. When MGF were treated with anti-${\alpha}_5$, anti-${\beta}_1$ and anti-${\alpha}_5{\beta}_1$ integrin antibodies, virion titers were reduced by 26.5%, 29.4% and 28.7% and the amount of nucleocapsid N protein were reduced by 65.2%, 59.7% and 72.6%. These results suggested that ${\alpha}_5{\beta}_1$ integrin might act as a receptor for the Hantaan virus or blocking of ${\alpha}_5{\beta}_1$ integrin influences on the viral replication in CEF and MGF. It is also possible that the blocking of only one subunit of integrin represents similar results in that of whole molecule.

• The Journal of the Petrological Society of Korea
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.195-209
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• 2016

The understanding of geometric complexity of strike-slip Fault system can be an important factor to control fault reactivation and surface rupture propagation under the regional stress regime. The Kumamoto earthquake was caused by dextral reactivation of the Futagawa-Hinagu Fault system under the E-W maximum horizontal principal stress. The earthquakes are a set of earthquakes, including a foreshock earthquake with a magnitude 6.2 at the northern tip of the Hinagu Fault on April 14, 2016 and a magnitude 7.0 mainshock which generated at the intersection of the two faults on April 16, 2016. The hypocenters of the main shock and aftershocks have moved toward NE direction along the Futagawa Fault and terminated at Mt. Aso area. The intersection of the two faults has a similar configuration of ${\lambda}$-fault. The geometries and kinematics, of these faults were comparable to the Yansan-Ulsan Fault system in SE Korea. But slip rate is little different. The results of age dating show that the Quaternary faults distributed along the northern segment of the Yangsan Fault and the Ulsan Fault are younger than those along the southern segment of the Yansan Fault. This result is well consistent with the previous study with Column stress model. Thus, the seismic activity along the middle and northern segment of the Yangsan Fault and the Ulsan Fault might be relatively active compared with that of the southern segment of the Yangsan Fault. Therefore, more detailed seismic hazard and paleoseismic studies should be carried out in this area.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.113-123
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• 2020

Global climatic change and increasing climatic instability threaten crop productivity. Due to climatic change, drought stress is occurring more frequently in crop fields. In this study, we investigated the effect of treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) before leaf development on the growth and yield of sorghum for minimizing the damage of crops to drought. To assess the effect of H₂O₂ on the growth of sorghum plant, 10 mM H₂O₂ was used to treat sorghum leaves at the 3-leaf stage during growth in field conditions. Plant height, stem diameter, leaf length, and leaf width were increased by 7.6%, 9.6%, 8.3% and 11.5%, respectively. SPAD value, chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm), photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate were increased by 3.0%, 4.9%, 26.0%, 23.4% and 12.7%, respectively. The amount of H₂O₂ in the leaf tissue of sorghum plant treated with 10 mM H₂O₂ was 0.7% of the applied amount after 1 hour. The level increased to approximately 1.0% after 6 hours. The highest antioxidant activity measured by the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity assay was 847.3 µmol·g^-1 at 6 hour after treatment. However, in the well-watered condition, the concentration of H₂O₂ in the plant treated by the foliar application of H₂O₂ was 227.8 µmol·g^-1 higher than that of the untreated control. H₂O₂ treatment improved all the yield components and yield-related factors. Panicle length, plant dry weight, panicle weight, seed weight per plant, seed weight per unit area, and thousand seed weight were increased by 8.8%, 18.0%, 24.4%, 24.7%, 29.9% and 7.1%, respectively. Proteomic analysis showed that H₂O₂ treatment in sorghum increased the tolerance to drought stress and maintained growth and yield by ameliorating oxidative stress.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.24-32
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• 2003

Purpose : Nosocomial infection with Staphylococcus aureus, especially methicillin resistant S. aureus, has become a serious concern in the neonatal intensive care unit. The aim of this study is to investigate the virulence factors, and the relationship between the antibiotic resistance and the associated genes of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from nasal cavity of neonates. Methods : Fifty one isolates of S. aureus were obtained from nasal swab taken in 28 neonates in the NICU and nursery of Pusan National University Hospital between February and May, 2001. They were tested in regard to antibiotic susceptibility, coagulase test and typing, plasmid DNA profile, as well as reactivity to enterotoxin A-E(sea, seb, sec, sed, see) genes and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1(tst) gene by polymerase chain reaction(PCR). Associated genes such as mecA, mecR1, mecI, and femA were also determined by PCR. The origin of MRSA strains was assessed using DNA fingerprinting by arbitrarily-primed polymerase chain reaction(AP-PCR). Results : Twenty three(45.1%) and six(11.8%) isolates were resistant to oxacillin and vancomycin respectively. Multidrug resistance to three or more of the antibiotics tested was observed in 51.0% of the isolates. Forty two isolates were coagulase positive and twenty two isolates had mecA gene. Sixteen isolates had both mecA and femA genes and had type I-III plasmids. 64.7% of isolates carried sec gene, and 80.4% carried tst gene. DNA fingerprinting by AP-PCR for 12 MRSA strains showed 10 distinct patterns, suggesting different origins. Conclusion : We confirmed that the prevalence of nasal carriage of S. aureus and the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant S. aureus, especially vancomycin resistance, is very high in neonates who were admitted in NICU and nursery. It is possible that these pathogens are responsible for serious nosocomial infections in neonates. The need for improved surveillance and continuous control of pathogens is emphasized.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.14-24
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• 2013

Objectives: Pregnant women in rural areas do not have access to sufficient obstetric services in their own communities due to the shortage of obstetricians. Therefore, most of these women must seek obstetrician outside of their communities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between obstetric complications and accessibility to local obstetric care in Korea. Methods: This study was an ecological study in which the unit of analysis was an administrative district. Using Korea National Health Insurance Corporation data, the total number of deliveries and the delivery proportion within and outside of the community from 2001 to 2008 were calculated for 232 administrative districts nationwide. Three outflow levels were categorized based on each district's out-of-community delivery proportion: high outflow (upper one third), moderate outflow (middle one third), and low outflow (lower one third). In addition, three obstetric complication rates (the rate of complications following abortion, ectopic and molar pregnancy, the abortion rate, and the eclampsia rate) were calculated for the 232 districts. One-way ANOVA and multivariate linear regression were used to evaluate obstetric complications among the three outflow levels. Results: The high outflow districts had higher rates of eclampsia and complications following abortion, ectopic, and molar pregnancy compared to the other districts (ANOVA, p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the abortion rate among the three groups. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that high outflow districts were statistically significant in the rate of complications following abortion, ectopic and molar pregnancy and eclampsia rate after adjusting for local tax per capita (p<0.01). Conclusion: These results indicate that poor access to local obstetric care correlate with poor obstetric outcomes (delayed or excessive bleeding, embolism, genital tract or pelvic infection, shock or other complications following abortion and ectopic or molar pregnancy, or eclampsia).

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.128-137
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• 1991

Peritoneal dialysis has been widely considered to be the dialytic treatment of choice for acute renal failure in infants and young children, because the technique is simple, safe and easily adapted for these patients. Also peritoneal dialysis in infants might have more effective ultrafiltration and clearance than in adults. In certain circumstances associated with hemodynamic instability, ordinary volume peritoneal dialysis(30-50 ml/kg body weight per exchange) or hemodialysis may not be suitable unfortunately. But frequent cycled, low volume, high concentration peritoneal dialysis may be more available to manage the hemodynamically untable acute renal failure of newborns and infants. Seven infants underwent peritoneal dialysis for hemodynamically unstable acute renal failure with low exchange volume($14.2{\pm}4.2ml/kg$), short exchange time(30 to 45 minutes) and hypertonic glucose solution(4.25% dextrose). Age was $1.9{\pm}1.3$ months and body weight was $4.6{\pm}1.6kg $. Etiology of acute renal failure was secondary to sepsis with or without shock(5 cases) and postcardiac operation(2 cases). Catheter was inserted percutaneously with pigtail catheter or Tenkhoff catheter by Seldinger method. Dialysate was commercially obtained Peritosol which contained sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, lactate and calcium. Net ultrafiltration(ml/min) showed no difference between low volume dialysis and control($0.27{\pm}0.09$ versus $0.29{\pm}0.09$) Blood BUN decreased from $95.7{\pm}37.5$ to $75.7{\pm}25.9mg/dl$ and blood pH increased from $7.122{\pm}0.048$ to $7.326{\pm}0.063$ after 24 hours of peritoneal dialysis. We experienced hyperglycemia which were controlled by insulin(2 episodes), leakage at the exit site(2), mild hyponatremia(1) and Escherichia coli peritonitis(1). Two children of low volume dialysis died despite the treatment. In our experience, low volume and high concentration peritoneal dialysis with frequent exchange may have sufficient ultrafiltration and clearance without significant complications in the certain risked acute renal failure of infants.