• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2006

Purpose: Human astrovirus (HAstV) is known to be an important etiologic agent of acute gastroenteritis in infants worldwide. However, the prevalence of HAstV infection varies according to geographic region and patient age. The purpose of our study was to investigate the incidence of HAstV infection among hospitalized children at a tertiary hospital in Seoul. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from hospitalized children up to five years of age with acute gastroenteritis. A total of 812 fecal samples were collected from hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis between February 2004 and January 2005. Fecal specimens were screened for rotavirus, enteric adenovirus and norovirus by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). HAstV positive samples were characterized by RT-PCR. Results: Rotavirus was detected in 16.9% (138/812), norovirus in 11.6% (94/812), and adenovirus in 4.0% (33/812) of the study population. HAstV was detected in 4.0% (33/812) samples by RT-PCR. The age distribution of HAstV positive patients was as follows: <12 month old, 82.0% (27/33); 1~2 years old, 6.0% (2/33); 2~5 years old, 12.0% (4/33). The seasonal distribution of HAstV positive samples was as follows; April (3), May (5), June (4), August (12), September (4), October (2), November (2), and December (1). The peak rate of HAstV infection was observed during the summer season, 2004. A mixed infection of viral agents was confirmed in 2.7% (22 /812) of the study population, most commonly with rotavirus and norovirus, and with rotavirus and HAstV. Genotype 1 was the predominant type (91%, 20/22) and genotype 8 was detected in two cases. Conclusion: The prevalence of HAstV infection was 4.0% in hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis, and was especially high in infants. HAstV can be considered as an important etiologic agent of gastroenteritis in children.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.138-145
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• 2008

This study was carried out to compare the meat quality of beef from Hanwoo supplemented with dietary Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) meal, silicate (Si), and chromium-methionine (Cr-Met) during refrigerated storage. The 26 mon-aged Hanwoo steers were fed basal diets containing 4% RVS, 4% RVS+400 ppm Cr-Met, 1.4% $SiO_2$, or 0.14% $SiO_2+400 ppm$ Cr-Met for 4 mon prior to slaughter. The M. longissimus from carcasses were then stored at $4{\pm}0.2^{\circ}C$ for 7 d. The crude fat content was higher in the Si and Si+Cr-Met groups (p<0.05). The water-holding capacity (WHC) and tenderness were highest in the Si+Cr-Met group (p<0.05). With regard to fatty acids, the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content was lower in the Si and Si+Cr-Met groups (p<0.05), and the monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content was lowest in the Si+Cr-Met group (p<0.05). The TBARS and MetMb contents were decreased in the Si, Si+Cr-Met, and RVS+Cr-Met groups. Regarding meat color during storage, the Si+Cr-Met group showed the highest L, a, b, C values and total color, and those of the Si and RVS+Cr-Met groups were higher than the RVS group (p<0.05). Consequently, beef from Si-fed Hanwoo had higher fat content, color and oxidation stability, and lower PUFA content than RVS-fed beef. And beef from Si+Cr-Met-fed Hanwoo had higher WHC, tenderness and color stability, and lower MUFA content than Si-fed beef.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.69-75
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• 2008

This study evaluated the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of vanilla ice cream treated with gamma irradiation. The general composition of the vanilla ice cream used for the study was 45.4-53.3% moisture, 5.5-5.9% fat and 3.9-4.1% protein, and these values did not change following gamma irradiation. The Hunter L, a and b values were slightly decreased following gamma irradiation. The fatty acid composition of the ice cream included caprylic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid, and there was no detectable change following irradiation. There was no significant difference in TBARS (2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) values between non-irradiated and irradiated samples at a dose of 3 kGy or less (p<0.05). Sensory evaluation indicated that gamma-irradiated vanilla ice cream did not show any difference in color relative to non-irradiated ice cream. However, gamma irradiation did affect the flavor, taste and overall acceptability of ice cream at doses above 3 kGy. These results indicate that gamma irradiation at 3 kGy is an effective treatment for sustaining the physicochemical characteristics of vanilla ice cream with minimal changes in sensory characteristics, though further studies should be carried out to reduce the deterioration of sensory qualities induced by gamma irradiation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.68-73
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• 2008

Background: The presence of infiltrated mediastinal lymph nodes is a crucial factor for the prognosis of lung cancer. The aim of our study is to investigate the pattern of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer that spreads to the mediastinal lymph nodes, in relation to the primary tumor site, in patients who underwent major lung resection with complete mediastinal lymph node dissection. Material and Method: We retrospectively. studies 293 consecutive patients [mean age $63.0{\pm}8.3$ years (range $37{\sim}88$) and 220 males (75.1%)] who underwent major lung resection due to non-small cell lung cancer from January 1998 to December 2005. The primary tumor and lymph node status was classified according to the international TNM staging system reported by Mountain. The histologic type of the tumors was determined according to the WHO classification. Fisher's exact test was used; otherwise the chi-square test of independence was employed. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Result: Lobectomy was carried out in 180 patients, bilobectomy in 50, sleeve lobectomy in 10 and pnemonectomy in 53. The pathologic report revealed 124 adenocarcinomas, 138 squamous-cell tumors, 14 adenosquamous tumors, 1 carcinoid tumor, 8 large cell carcinomas, 1 carcinosarcoma, 2 mucoepidermoid carcinomas and 5 undifferentiated tumors. The TNM stage was IA in 51 patients, IB in 98, IIB in 41, IIIA in 71, IIIB in 61 and IV in 6. 25.9 % of the 79 patients had N2 tumor. Most common infiltrated mediastinal lymph node was level No.4 in the right upper lobe, level No. 4 and 5 in the left upper lobe and level No. 7 in the other lobes, but no statistically significant difference was observed. Thirty-six patients (12.3%) presented with skip metastasis to the mediastinum. Conclusion: Mediastinal lymph node dissection is necessary for accurately determining the pTNM stage. It seems that there is no definite way that non-small cell lung cancer spreads to the lymphatics, in relation to the location of the primary cancer. Further, skip metastasis to the mediastinal lymph nodes was present in 12.3% of our patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.529-535
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• 2007

Background: An imbalance between oxidants and antioxidants leads to oxidative stress, and this has been proposed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of lung neoplasm. Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease-1/redox factor-1 (APE/ref-1) is a multifunctional protein involved in DNA base excision repair and the redox regulation of many transcription factors. However, the alteration of the expressed levels of APE/ref-1 in non-small cell lung cancer is unknown. Material and Method: Forty-nine patients with surgically resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were included in this study. Immunohistochemical staining with APE/ref-1 antibodies was performed, and their expressions were analyzed via Western blotting for specific antibodies. Result: APE/ref-1 was localized at the nucleus and mainly in the non-tumor region of the NSCLC tissue specimens; it was expressed in the cytoplasm and nucleus of the NSCLC. The nuclear and cytoplasmic expressions of APE/ref-1 in lung cancers were markedly up-regulated in the NSCLC, and this was correlated with the clinical stage. Catalase, as first-line antioxidant defense, was dramatically decreased in the NSCLC. Conclusion: Taken together, our results suggest that APE/ref-1, and especially cytoplasmic APE/ref-1, was upregulated in the lung cancer regions, and this may contribute to the compensatory defense system against oxidative stress. A low expression of catalase might have fundamental effects on the extracellular redox state of lung tumors, along with the potential consequences for the tumors.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.552-557
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• 2007

Background: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a cardiac hormone that is primarily synthesized by the ventricular cardiac myocytes. Increased plasma BNP levels have been observed in patients suffering with congestive heart failure, ventricular hypertrophy and myocaridits and also during heart transplantation rejection. We investigated the serum BNP level as a predictive marker for rejection after heart transplantation. Material and Method: To test the usefulness of measuring the BNP level in cardiac transplant patients, consecutive blood samplings for BNP, right ventricular endomyocardial biopsies, hemodynamic measurements and transthoracic echocardiogram were all done in 10 such patients between January 2004 and August 2005 at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in Asan Medical Center. Two groups were identified with using the median value: the low BNP group (n=28, BNP: ${\le}290$ pg/mL) and the high BNP group (n=29, BNP: >290 pg/mL). We retrospectively analyzed rejection, the ejection fraction, tricuspid regurgitation, left ventricular hypertrophy, the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and the right atrial pressure between the 2 groups. Result: There were no differences in age, gender, rejection, the ejection fraction, tricuspid regurgitation, left ventricular hypertrophy and the right atrial pressure between the 2 groups (p>0.05). However, a higher pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and a higher mean pulmonary atrial pressure were observed in the high BNP group (p<0.05). Further, BNP has linear correlation with the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (r=0.590, p<0.001). Using the cut-off value of 620 pg/mL, the BNP predicted a high PCWP (>12 mmHg) with a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 91.1% (AUC: $0.900{\pm}0.045$, p<0.001). Conclusion: The BNP level after heart transplantation does not show any significant correlation with rejection, yet it might be a predictive marker of ventricular diastolic dysfunction.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.149-159
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• 2008

Background: With increasing coronary bypass and peripheral vascular surgeries, the demand for homologous vascular or synthetic conduits has continued to grow, but wide-spread application has been limited by dismal patency rates. Although cryopreserved allograft valves may provide a suitable alternative, current viability or patency of implanted allograft vascular conduits has been unsatisfactory. Material and Method: We serially analyzed the outcomes of canine femoral artery and saphenous vein allograft implants after storage in either $4^{\circ}C\;or\;-170^{\circ}C$. Result: There were no differences in graft flow rate (patency) (p=0.264), rate of thrombosis (p=0.264), presence of endothelium (p=0.587), or immunohistochemical staining for thrombomodulin (p=0.657) were detected between grafts stored in $4^{\circ}C\;and\;-170^{\circ}C$. Greater flow occurred in the arterial grafts versus the venous grafts (p=0.030), irrespective of the preservation method, with a significantly lower incidence of thrombosis (p=0.030) in arterial allografts. There was a correlation coefficient of -0.654 between thrombosis and positive immunohistochemical staining for thrombomodulin (p=0.006) and a correlation coefficient of 0.520 (p=0.0049) between the endothelial presence and positive immunohistochemical staining for thrombomodulin. The relationship between the presence of endothelium and thrombomodulin expression failed to show any correlation within the first 2 weeks (p=0.306). However, a strong correlation was seen after 1 month (p=0.0008). Conclusion: Tissue storage in either $4^{\circ}C\;or\;-170^{\circ}C$ in 10% DMSO/RPMI-1640 preservation solution preserved grafts equally well. In terms of thrombosis and graft patency, arterial grafts were superior to venous grafts. Considering the poor correlation between thrombomodulin expression and the presence of an endothelium in the implanted graft within the first two weeks, grafts in this period would not be thromboresistant.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.237-243
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• 2008

Chemical and microbial characteristics of bacterial populations were investigated in a quercus and pine humus forest soil. Soil pH was $5.3\pm0.4$ and $4.1\pm0.9$ from each sample of a quercus and pine humus forest soil; C/N ratio of humus forest soil was $17.84\pm4.6%$ and $21.76\pm8%$, respectively. Total organic acid was investigated as 69.57 mM/g dry soil and 53.72 mM/g dry soil in each humus forest soil. Glutamine, pyruvate, succinate, lactic acid and acetic acid of pine humus forest soil were $1.5\sim4.5$ times higher than those of quercus humus forest soil. As we evaluated phylogenetic characteristics of bacterial populations by 16S rRNA-ARDRA analysis with DNA extracted from each humus forest soil. Based on the 16S rRNA sequences, 44 clone from ARDRA groups of quercus humus forest soil were classified into 7 phyla: ${\alpha},{\beta},{\gamma},{\delta}$-Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes. Thirty-two clone from ARDRA groups of pine humus forest soil were classified into 8 phyla: ${\alpha},{\beta},{\gamma}$-Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroides, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, and Gemmatomonadetes. According to PCA (Principal Component Analysis) based on 16S rRNA base sequence, there were three main groups of bacteria. All clone of Cluster I were originated from quercus humus forest soil, while 67% clone of Cluster II and 63% clone of Clusters III were separated from pine humus forest soil.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.212-220
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• 2008

A Pn10 DNA probe was introduced as a Prevotella nigrescens ATCC $33563^T$-specific DNA probe. In that study, the specificity of the Pn10 was tested with only type or reference strains of 5 oral bacterial species. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the specificity of the Pn10 using the wild type strains of P. nigrescens and is to develop the P. nigrescens ATCC $33563^T$-specific PCR primers based on the nucleotide sequence of the Pn10. The specificity of the Pn10 DNA probe was determined by Southern blot analysis. The nucleotide sequence of Pn10 DNA probes was determined by chain termination method. The PCR primers were designed based on the nucleotide sequence of cloned DNA fragment. The data showed that Pn10 DNA probe were hybridized with the genomic DNAs from P. nigrescens ATCC $33563^T$ and KB6. The Pn10 homologous region, KB6-Pn10, of P. nigrescens KB6 was cloned by PCR and sequenced. The Pn10 and KB6-Pn10 DNA fragments were consisted of 1,875 bp and 1,873 bp, respectively. The percent identity of the two was 98.8% and the divergence of them was 0.6%. The two primer sets (Pn10-F-AC/ Pn10-R-AC and Pn10-F-A/ Pn10-R-A), designed base on the nucleotide sequences of Pn10 DNA probe, were specific to the P. nigrescens ATCC $33563^T$. The two PCR primer sets could detect as little as 4 pg of genomic DNA of P. nigrescens ATCC $33563^T$. These results indicate that the two PCR primer sets have proven useful for the identification of P. nigrescens ATCC $33563^T$, especially with regard to the maintenance of the strain.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.5 no.8
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• pp.988-996
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• 1995

CuInSe$_2$this films as a light absorber layer were fabricated by vacuum evaporation using In$_2$Se$_3$and Cu$_2$Se precursors and their properties were analyzed. Indium selenide films of 0.5${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ thickness were first deposited by vacuum evaporation of In$_2$Se$_3$ on a Corning 7059 glass substrate. The films deposited at suscepor temperature of 40$0^{\circ}C$ showed a flat surface morphology with densely Packed grain structure. CuInSe$_2$films directly formed by evaporating Cu$_2$Se on the predeposited In$_2$Se$_2$films also showed a very flat surface when the susceptor temperature was $700^{\circ}C$. Cu$_2$Se, a second phase in the CuInSe$_2$film, was removed by evaporating additional In$_2$Se$_3$on the CuInSe$_2$film at $700^{\circ}C$. The grain size of 1.2${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ thick CuInSe$_2$, film was about 2${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ and the film had a (112) preferred orientation. As the amount of deposited In$_2$Se$_3$increased, the electrical resistivity of CuInSe$_2$films increased because of the decrease of hole concentration. But the optical band gap was almost constant at the value of 1.04eV, The CuInSe$_2$film grown on a Mo/glass substrate had a similar smooth microstructure compared to that on a glass substrate. A solar cell with ZnO/CdS/CuInSe$_2$/Mo structure may be realized based on the above CuInSe$_2$films.