• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.58 no.1
• /
• pp.20-27
• /
• 2015

Purpose: We investigated the molecular types of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) by using conventional phylogrouping, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and fimH genotyping. Methods: Samples of patients younger than 18 years of age were collected from the Chung-Ang University Hospital over 2 years. Conventional phylogenetic grouping for UPEC strains was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Bacterial strain sequence types (STs) were classified on the basis of the results of partial sequencing of seven housekeeping genes. In addition, we analyzed nucleotide variations in a 424-base pair fragment of fimH, a major virulence factor in UPEC. Results: Sixty-four UPEC isolates were analyzed in this study. Phylogenetic grouping revealed that group B2 was the most common type (n=54, 84%). We identified 16 distinctive STs using MLST. The most common STs were ST95 (35.9%), ST73 (15.6%), ST131 (12.5%), ST69 (7.8%), and ST14 (6.3%). Fourteen fimH allele types were identified, of which 11 had been previously reported, and the remaining three were identified in this study. f1 (n=28, 45.2%) was found to be the most common allele type, followed by f6 and f9 (n=7, 11.3% each). Comparative analysis of the results from the three different molecular typing techniques revealed that both MLST and fimH typing generated more discriminatory UPEC types than did PCR-based phylogrouping. Conclusion: We characterized UPEC molecular types isolated from Korean children by MLST and fimH genotyping. fimH genotyping might serve as a useful molecular test for large epidemiologic studies of UPEC isolates.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.457-468
• /
• 2016

Traffic-related air pollutants and particulates from diesel exhaust cause for increasing respiratory health problem. Recent epidemiologic studies have reported adverse effects of urban air pollution on various aspects of respiratory health. Bus or truck terminal workers have high probability of exposure to diesel exhaust particle than general office worker. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between pulmonary function of people who working at the high-density area of diesel vehicles and pulmonary function of people who working at general office in Seoul. So, this study explored the effects on people with exposure to diesel traffic or exposure to diesel traffic, through the pulmonary function test (PFT). There were significant difference in Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) and Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second ($FEV_1$) between high-exposure group and control. High-exposure to diesel particle were increased risk of reduction in pulmonary function in this study. These results provide the necessity additional research that manage people who working at the high-density area of diesel vehicles.

• Nutritional Sciences
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.71-75
• /
• 1999

Epidemiologic studies consistently demonstrate an inverse relationship between risk for colon canter and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Wheat bran, flax and soy contain dietary fiber and phytochemicals, such as lignans and isoflavones, that may inhibit colon carcinogenesis. Orange juice contains hesperidin, a flavanone glucoside that protects against colon carcinogenesis. This study determined if feeding orange juice, wheat bran, soy and flaxseed (combined diet) would inhibit azoxymethane (AOM) induced colon cancer. Cancer was initiated in male Fisher 344 rats by injecting 15 mg AOM/kg of weight at 22 and 29 days of age. One week after the second AOM injection, rats (N = 30) in the combined diet group received dry diet containing wheat bran (4%), soy with ethanol soluble phytochemirals(13%) and flaxseed (8%) and orange juice replaced drinking water. The control group remained on the control diet and received distilled water to drink. The rats were killed 28 weeks later, and colon tissues and tumors were removed for histologic analysis. Feeding the combined diet significantly reduced tumor incidence (p < 0.05), however tumor multiplicity was not changed (p > 0.05, 0.9 tumors/rat fed the combined diet vs 1.2 for controls). Also, tumor burden was only marginally reduced in rats fed the combined diet vs control rats (65 vs 210 mg of tumor/rats, respectively). The reduction in tumor incidence was associated with a decreased labeling index and proliferation zone in normal appearing colon mucosa. Therefore, this study shows that phytochemicals in wheat bran, soy, flax and orange juice reduce colon carcinogenesis, presumably by decreasing cell proliferation and enhancing cell differentiation.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.162-175
• /
• 1999

The study was intended to investigate and explore the preimenstrual symptoms, their severity levels, their patterns and the relationships of the age to those symptoms and patterns among Korean women. The data were collected from 844 women in one highschool, one Nursing college and one Korea National Open University in Seoul, from Nov, 1997 to Jun. 1998. The instruments were the Menstrual Symptoms Questionnaire developed by Chesney and the Center for Epidemiologic studies Depression scale developed by Radloff. the data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Duncan's multiple comparison test, $X^2$-test, simple regression analysis and logistic regression analysis using pc-SAS program. The results were as follows ; 1. Korean women had more symptoms of abdominal bloating, fatigue, abdominal discomfort and backache in perimenstrual period. There Teenages had more symptoms of depression and uterine cramps in the day before or the first day of menstruation. Women in their twenties had more symptoms of abdominal pain or abdominal discomfort, backache, abdominal bloating and the sensitiveness /discomforts in the lower back, abdomen and inner part of thighs. women in their thirties had more symptoms of abdominal bloating, fatigue, tension and nervousness before the menstruation, abdominal discomfort and backpain in the first day of menstruation. Women in their forties had more symptoms of backache, breast discomforts, abdominal pain and discomforts. 2. The severity levels of the perimenstrual symptoms showed the highest score(mean=2.73) in twenties and the lowest score)mean=1.96) in forties The perimenstrual symptom patterns were prevailed the spasmodic menstrual symptoms in teenage and twenties and the congestive menstrual symptoms in thirties and forties. The age was a determinant of perimenstrual symptom patterns and the precipitative equation was log[p(age)/(1-p(age)]=2.7356-0.0982 age. 3. The relationship of the age to perimenstrual symptoms was vanished or lessened, controlling for parity as a test factor. this finding supports the notion that parity is an extraneous variable.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.2695-2698
• /
• 2012

Introduction: Design and implementation of screening programs in each country must be based on epidemiological data. Despite the relatively high incidence of CRC, there is no nationwide comprehensive program for screening in Iran. This study was designed to investigate national CRC data and help to determine guidelines for screening. Methods: Incidence data used in this study were obtained from Iranian annual of National Cancer Registration report. Age standardized rates (ASR)were calculated using world standard population and were categorized by age, sex, anatomic subsite and morphology of tumor. Data were analyzed using SPSS.V.13 and Open Source Epidemiologic Statistics for Public Health software (OpenEpi v.2.3.1). Results: A quarter of cases were less than 50 years of age. The majority of tumors were detected in the colon. The overall ASR in the four years period was 38.0 per 100000 and was higher for men compared women (P<0.05). Incidence rate of colorectal cancer increased with age. Conclusion: Results of present study indicated that incidence of colorectal cancer is relatively high in Iran. Incidence of CRC in people under 50 years and in rectum were reported higher than other countries that related etiologic factors should be investigate in further studies. According to the increasing of ASR after age 50 years, it seems that onset of screening at age 50 would be appropriate.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.46 no.2
• /
• pp.162-170
• /
• 2018

Non-typhoidal Salmonella is one of the main pathogens causing food-borne illness in humans, with up to 20% of cases resulting from consumption of pork products. Over the gastroenteritis signs, multidrug resistant Salmonella has arisen. In this study, pan-susceptible phenotypic strains of Salmonella enterica serotype Weltevreden recovered from pig production chain in Chiang Mai, Thailand during 2012-2014 were chosen for analysis. The aim of this study was to use whole genome sequencing (WGS) data with an emphasis on antimicrobial resistance gene investigation to assess their pathogenic potential and genetic diversity determination based on whole genome Multilocus Sequence Typing (wgMLST) to expand epidemiological knowledge and to provide additional guidance for disease control. Analyis using ResFinder 3.0 for WGS database tracing found that one of pan-susceptible phenotypic strain carried five classes of resistance genes: aminoglycoside, beta-lactam, phenicol, sulfonamide, and tetracycline associated genes. Twenty four and 36 loci differences were detected by core genome Multilocus Sequence Typing (cgMLST) and pan genome Multilocus Sequence Typing (pgMLST), respectively, in two matching strains (44/13 vs A543057 and A543056 vs 204/13) initially assigned by conventional MLST and Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). One hundread percent discriminant ability can be achieved using the wgMLST technique. WGS is currently the ultimate molecular technique for various in-depth studies. As the findings stated above, a new of "gold standard typing method era" for routine works in genome study is being set.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• v.28
• /
• pp.9.1-9.5
• /
• 2013

Objectives Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a powerful tool for assessing exposure in epidemiologic studies. We used GIS to determine the geographic extent of contamination by perfluorooctanoic acid, C8 (PFOA) that was released into the environment from the DuPont Washington Works Facility located in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Methods Paper maps of pipe distribution networks were provided by six local public water districts participating in the community cross-sectional survey, the C8 Health Project. Residential histories were also collected in the survey and geocoded. We integrated the pipe networks and geocoded addresses to determine which addresses were serviced by one of the participating water districts. The GIS-based water district assignment was then compared to the participants' self-reported source of public drinking water. Results There were a total of 151,871 addresses provided by the 48,800 participants of the C8 Health Project that consented to geocoding. We were able to successfully geocode 139,067 (91.6%) addresses, and of these, 118,209 (85.0%) self-reported water sources were confirmed using the GIS-based method of water district assignment. Furthermore, the GIS-based method corrected 20,858 (15.0%) self-reported public drinking water sources. Over half (54%) the participants in the lowest GIS-based exposure group self-reported being in a higher exposed water district. Conclusions Not only were we able to correct erroneous self-reported water sources, we were also able to assign water districts to participants with unknown sources. Without the GIS-based method, the reliance on only self-reported data would have resulted in exposure misclassification.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.7 no.5
• /
• pp.393-399
• /
• 2013

Asian populations are thought to receive significant health benefits from traditional diets rich in soybeans due to high isoflavone contents. However, available epidemiologic data only weakly support this hypothesis. The present study was carried out to assess the pharmacokinetics of isoflavones in South Korean women after ingestion of soy-based foods. Twenty-six healthy female volunteers (20-30 y old) consumed three different soy products (i.e., isogen, soymilk, and fermented soybeans) with different aglycone/glucoside ratios. Plasma and urine isoflavone concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) after ingestion of one of the soy products. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined using the WinNonlin program. The area under the curve (AUC) for plasma daidzein levels of the soymilk group ($2,101{\pm}352ng{\cdot}h/mL$) was significantly smaller than those of the isogen ($2,628{\pm}573ng{\cdot}h/mL$) and fermented soybean ($2,593{\pm}465ng{\cdot}h/mL$) groups. The maximum plasma concentration ($C_{max}$) of daidzein for the soymilk group ($231{\pm}44$ ng/mL) was significantly higher than those of the isogen ($160{\pm}32$ ng/mL) and fermented soybean ($195{\pm}35$ ng/mL) groups. The half-lives of daidzein and genistein in the soymilk group (5.9 and 5.6 h, respectively) were significantly shorter than those in the individuals given isogen (9.6 and 8.5 h, respectively) or fermented soybean (9.5 and 8.2 h, respectively). The urinary recovery rates of daidzein and genistein were 42% and 17% for the isogen group, 46% and 23% for the fermented soybean group, and 33% and 22% for the soymilk group. In conclusion, our data indicated that soy products containing high levels of isoflavone aglycone are more effective for maintaining plasma isoflavone concentrations. Additional dose-response, durational, and interventional studies are required to evaluate the ability of soy-based foods to increase the bioavailability of isoflavones that positively affect human health.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.57-65
• /
• 2012

Objectives: For our survey of the incidence of norovirus infections and the genogroup distribution of norovirus in Seoul, Republic of Korea, we evaluated through regular surveillance the prevalence of norovirus infections in patients with acute gastroenteritis occurring in Seoul from January 2007 to July 2011. Methods: For norovirus detection, we conducted epidemiological analyses on the basis of the junction of ORF1 and ORF2 (approximately 314 bp). 11,202 fecal specimens were collected from patients in Seoul with acute gastroenteritis between January 2007 and July 2011 and then tested for the presence of NoV via reverse transcription (RT) - polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: 16.6% (1,861/11,202) of the fecal specimens were determined to be positive for noroviruses. The incidences of norovirus infection in Seoul in the case of acute gastroenteritis with regular surveillance were 28.0% in 2007, 14.6% in 2008, 9.1% in 2009, 14.1% in 2010, and 12.9% in 2011, which shows that noroviruses constituted a major causative agent of acute gastroenteritis. Also, the incidence of noroviral infection in patients with acute gastroenteritis increased after the large-scale new influenza in 2009. Conclusions: The genetic characteristics of norovirus and the epidemiologic patterns of a viral pathogen in acute gastroenteritis patients may provide potentially effective data for epidemiological studies in Seoul, Korea.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.175-185
• /
• 2016

Purpose: To investigate the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, investigations and management, and prognosis of patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 212 HSP patients under the age of 18 years who were admitted to Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital between 2004 and 2015. Results: The mean age of the HSP patients was 6.93 years, and the ratio of boys to girls was 1.23:1. HSP occurred most frequently in the winter (33.0%) and least frequently in the summer (11.3%). Palpable purpura spots were found in 208 patients (98.1%), and gastrointestinal (GI) and joint symptoms were observed in 159 (75.0%) and 148 (69.8%) patients, respectively. There were 57 patients (26.9%) with renal involvement and 10 patients (4.7%) with nephrotic syndrome. The incidence of renal involvement and nephrotic syndrome was significantly higher in patients with severe GI symptoms and in those over 7 years old. The majority of patients (88.7%) were treated with steroids. There was no significant difference in the incidence of renal involvement or nephrotic syndrome among patients receiving different doses of steroids. Conclusion: In this study, the epidemiologic features of HSP in children were similar to those described in previous studies, but GI and joint symptoms manifested more frequently. It is essential to carefully monitor renal involvement and progression to chronic renal disease in patients ${\geq}7$ years old and in patients affected by severe GI symptoms. It can be assumed that there is no direct association between early doses of steroids and prognosis.