• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.423-428
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• 1997

Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic gram-negative human pathogen, which affects people with underlying liver diseases or a suppressed immune system, often leading to primary septicemia with a mortality rate of higher than 60%. In an effort to develop an oral vaccine against V. vulnificus infection, we prepared a whole cell killed vaccine of V. vulnificus on a large scale and compared the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the vaccine administered in three formulation forms in rabbits. Since V. vulnificus O-antigen serotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 account for more than 95% of clinical isolates, we prepared cell lysates from these six serotype strains and mixed in equal amounts for a vaccine. The vaccine was administered to rabbits intramuscularly (i.m.), orally as granules or as enteric-coated granules. In rabbits, all three formulation forms elicited a high level of serum IgG antibody reactive not only to the six strains but also to other O-antigen serotypes 6, 8 and 9, indicating cross-reactivities among the strains. Immunotherapeutic efficacy of the antisera was also evaluated by a passive immunization assay, which revealed that the orally immunized antisera as well as the i.m. immunized antisera was protective against a subsequent lethal challenge of V. vulnificus. These data demonstrate that oral immunization with a V. vulnificus whole cell lysate vaccine induced a systemic immune response and suggest the feasibility of development of this vaccine preparation as an oral vaccine.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.72-77
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• 2016

Background: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors related to needle stick injuries (NSIs) and to assess related safety measures among a sample of Iranian nurses. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a random sample of 168 registered active nurses was selected from different wards of one of the hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). Data were collected by an anonymous questionnaire and a checklist based observational method among the 168 registered active nurses. Results: The prevalence of NSIs in the total of work experience and the last year was 76% and 54%, respectively. Hollow-bore needles were the most common devices involved in the injuries (85.5%). The majority of NSIs occurred in the morning shift (57.8%) and the most common activity leading to NSIs was recapping needles (41.4%). The rate of underreporting NSIs was 60.2% and the major reasons for not reporting the NSIs were heavy clinical schedule (46.7%) and perception of low risk of infection (37.7%). A statistically significant relationship was found between the occurrence of NSIs and sex, hours worked/week, and frequency of shifts/month. Conclusion: The study showed a high prevalence of NSIs among nurses. Supportive measures such as improving injection practices, modification of working schedule, planning training programs targeted at using personal protective equipment, and providing an adequate number of safety facilities such as puncture resistant disposal containers and engineered safe devices are essential for the effective prevention of NSI incidents among the studied nurses.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.497-507
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• 2015

It is necessary to evaluate the resistance to disease among genetic resources for development of disease resistant grapes. This study was conducted to screen the resistance to crown gall in muscadine and Florida hybrid bunch grapes by pathogen inoculation. In order to compare the responses to infection with different pathogen strains, muscadine and Florida hybrid grapes were inoculated with 3 strains of Agrobacterium vitis. Although there were different levels crown gall formation among grape cultivars, there little variation in response to inoculated strains. Among 29 muscadine cultivars tested by inoculation of A. vitis 'C4612', most of them were shown to be susceptible, and 'Gold Isle' and 'Africa Queen' were highly susceptible, and two cultivars, 'Welder' and 'Jumbo' were found to be resistant to crown gall disease. Among Florida hybrid grapes, 'Daytona', 'Stover', and 'Swanee' were susceptible and 'Blanc du Bois' was moderately susceptible to crown gall. Because muscadine grapes have been actively utilized as useful genetic resources for development of new grape varieties by intersub-genus cross, this result from the screening of resistance among muscadine grapes can provide valuable information in breeding programs of grape resistant to crown gall.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.48
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• pp.295.1-295.7
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• 2018

Background: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infections have become a major healthcare-associated pathogen problem worldwide. Nosocomial VRE infections could be effectively controlled by screening patients at high risk of harboring VRE and thereby lowering the influx of VRE into healthcare centers. In this study, we evaluated factors associated with VRE colonization in patients transferred to emergency departments, to detect patients at risk for VRE carriage. Methods: This study was conducted in the emergency department of a medical college-affiliated hospital in Korea. Every patient transferred to the emergency department and admitted to the hospital from January to December 2016 was screened for VRE using rectal cultures. In this cross-sectional study, the dependent variable was VRE colonization and the independent variables were demographic and clinical factors of the patients and factors related to the transferring hospital. Patients were divided into two groups, VRE and non-VRE, and previously collected patient data were analyzed. Then we performed logistic regression analyses of characteristics that differed significantly between groups. Results: Out of 650 patients, 106 (16.3%) had positive VRE culture results. Significant variables in the logistic analysis were transfer from geriatric long-term care hospital (adjusted odds ration [aOR]: 8.017; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.378-46.651), hospital days (4-7 days; aOR: 7.246; 95% CI: 3.229-16.261), duration of antimicrobial exposure (1-3 days; aOR: 1.976; 95% CI: 1.137-3.436), and age (aOR: 1.025; 95% CI: 1.007-1.043). Conclusion: VRE colonization in patients transferred to the emergency department is associated primarily with factors related to the transferred hospitals rather than demographic and clinical characteristics.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.417-422
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• 2019

From October 2015 to August 2018, tapeworm proglottids were obtained from 10 patients who were residents of Daegu and Gyeongbuk provinces and had a history of raw beef consumption. Most of them had no overseas travel experience. The gravid proglottids obtained from the 10 cases had 15-20 lateral uterine branches. A part of internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) DNA of the 10 cases, amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and digested with AleI restriction enzyme, produced the same band pattern of Taenia saginata, which differentiated from T. asiatica and T. solium. Sequences of ITS1 and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) showed higher homology to T. saginata than to T. asiatica and T. solium. Collectively, these 10 cases were identified as T. saginata human infections. As taeniasis is one of the important parasitic diseases in humans, it is necessary to maintain hygienic conditions during livestock farming to avoid public health concerns.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.512-520
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The 6-23 months for infants is the longest period in the "first 1,000 days" of life. This period is very important for child development, so complementary feeding (CF) practices should be optimized to maximize children's potential for growth and development. The aim of this study was to analyze the CF practices and nutritional status of children aged 6-23 months. SUBJECTS/METHODS: For this cross-sectional study, 392 children aged 6-23 months were selected using stratified random sampling. Socio-demographic data were collected through interviews. CF practices, collected by interviews and repeated 24-hour food recall method, were the timely introduction of CF, minimum meal frequency, dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet, consumption food rich in proteins and vitamin A. Nutritional status was assessed using the indicators of underweight, wasting and stunting. To analyze the association between socio-demographic indicators and CF with nutritional status, the chi-square test with a confidence interval of 95% was used. RESULTS: Results showed that 39% were exclusively breastfed, only 61% received prolonged breastfeeding and 50% received timely introduction of CF. Minimum meal frequency was met by 74% of subjects, but dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet were only realized in 50% and 40% of the children, respectively. The prevalence of underweight, wasting, and stunting were 26%, 23%, and 28%, respectively. Age of the child, birth order, birth weight, parents' education level, family size and incidence of fever and diarrhea during the previous two weeks were associated with underweight, while child's birth order, fathers' education level, mother's age, family size, completion of the age-appropriate vaccination and fish consumption frequency were associated with wasting. Age of the child, incidence of fever and acute respiratory infection, and fortified food consumption were associated with stunting. CONCLUSIONS: Suboptimal CF practices and high prevalence of underweight, wasting and stunting were found among children aged 6-23 months old in Aceh. These results highlight the need to improve CF and nutritional status.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.1470-1477
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• 2019

${\beta}_2$-adrenergic receptor (${\beta}_2-AR$) was expressed efficiently using Bac-to-Bac Baculovirus Expression System in Sf9 cells as a bio-recognition element for multianalyte screening of ${\beta}$-agonist residues in pork. Sf9 cells were selected as the expression system, and codon optimization of wild-type nucleic acid sequence and time-dependent screening of expression conditions were then carried out for enhancing expression level and biological activity. Under optimum conditions of multiplicity of infection (MOI) = 5 and 48 h post transfection, the protein yield was up to 1.23 mg/ml. After purification by chromatographic techniques, the purified recombinant protein was applied to develop a direct competitive enzyme-linked receptor assay (ELRA) and the efficiency and reliability of the assay was determined. The IC50 values of clenbuterol, salbutamol, and ractopamine were 28.36, 50.70, and $59.57{\mu}g/l$, and clenbuterol showed 47.61% and 55.94% cross-reactivities with ractopamine and salbutamol, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) was $3.2{\mu}g/l$ and the relevant recoveries in pork samples were in the range of 73.0-91.2%, 69.4-84.6%, and 63.7-80.2%, respectively. The results showed that it had better performance compared with other present nonradioactive receptorbased assays, indicating that the genetically modified ${\beta}_2-AR$ would have great application potential in detection of ${\beta}$-agonist residues.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.402-410
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• 2018

Background: Monitoring appropriate medication categories can provide early warning of certain disease outbreaks. This study aimed to present a methodology for selecting and monitoring medications relevant to the surveillance of acute respiratory tract infections, such as influenza. Methods: To estimate correlations between acute febrile respiratory tract infection and some medication categories, the cross-correlation coefficient (CCC) was used and established. Two databases were used: real-time prescription trend of antivirals, anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics using Drug Utilization Review Program between 2012 and 2015 and physicians' number of encounters with acute febrile respiratory tract infections such as influenza outbreaks using the national level health insurance claims data. The seasonality was also evaluated using the CCC. Results: After selecting six candidate diseases that require extensive monitoring, influenza with highly specific medical treatment according to the health insurance claims data and its medications were chosen as final candidates based on a data-driven approach. Antiviral medications and influenza were significantly correlated. Conclusion: An annual correlation was observed between influenza and antiviral medications, anti-inflammatory drugs. Suitable models should be established for syndromic surveillance of influenza.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.65-74
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• 2021

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has influenced the lives of people worldwide. Little is known about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the behavior and fears of pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and their families. We conducted a survey to determine the COVID-19 exposure, related perceptions, and information sources; medication compliance; and patients' and parents' behaviors, fears, and physician contact. Methods: An anonymous cross-sectional survey of pediatric patients with IBD and their parents at one pediatric gastroenterology unit of a university medical center was performed. Results: A total of 46 pediatric patients with IBD and 44 parents completed the survey. Parents of pediatric patients with IBD had high fear of their children becoming infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. They perceived schools as the most hazardous environment, whereas the children did not. Half the pediatric patients with IBD feared infection. Patients and parents felt sufficiently informed about COVID-19. The primary source of guidance for pediatric patients was their parents (43%), followed by television and social media, whereas the parents mainly consulted internet news websites (52.2%), television, and public health institutes. Pediatric patients with IBD adhered to their prescribed medication. They also showed cautious behavior by enhancing hand hygiene (84%) and leaving the house less frequently than before. However, in-person medical visits remained favored over video consultations. Conclusion: Although parents expressed overprotective concerns, both parents and pediatric patients with IBD are coping well with the COVID-19 pandemic. IBD-relevant information should be actively conveyed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2021

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a public health emergency posing unprecedented challenges for health authorities. Social media may serve as an effective platform to disseminate health-related information. This study aimed to assess the extent of social media use, its impact on preventive behavior, and negative health effects such as cyberchondria and information overload. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted between June 10, 2020 and August 9, 2020 among people visiting the outpatient department of the authors' institution, and participants were also recruited during field visits for an awareness drive. Questions were developed on preventive behavior, and the Short Cyberchondria Scale and instruments dealing with information overload and perceived vulnerability were used. Results: The study recruited 767 participants with a mean age of about 45 years. Most of the participants (>90%) engaged in preventive behaviors, which were influenced by the extent of information received through social media platforms (β=3.297; p<0.001) and awareness of infection when a family member tested positive (β=29.082; p<0.001) or a neighbor tested positive (β=27.964; p<0.001). The majority (63.0%) of individuals often searched for COVID-19 related news on social media platforms. The mean±standard deviation scores for cyberchondria and information overload were 9.09±4.05 and 8.69±2.56, respectively. Significant and moderately strong correlations were found between cyberchondria, information overload, and perceived vulnerability to COVID-19. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that the use of social media as an information- seeking platform altered preventive behavior. However, excessive and misleading information resulted in cyberchondria and information overload.