• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.183-185
• /
• 2011

The present study was performed to determine the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis among preschool children in Gimhae-si, Korea. A total of 6,921 preschool children in 76 kindergartens were examined using the cellotape perianal swab method. The overall egg positive rate (EPR) was 10.5%. The EPR in boys was higher than that in girls (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.5, P<0.001), and it was higher in rural than in urban children (AOR: 1.2, P=0.022). The present study confirmed that the prevalence of E. vermicularis infection is fairly high among preschool children in Gimhae-si. Therefore, systematic control and preventive measures should be adopted to reduce morbidity associated with this nematode infection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.413-415
• /
• 2009

Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii has been performed in 23 PCR positive blood samples from stray cats in Korea. We used 2 separate PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of SAG2 gene, amplifying the 5' and 3' ends of the locus. The results revealed that all samples belonged to the type I clonal lineage. Although T. gondii organisms were not isolated from the samples, the results of the present study represent that stray cats with T. gondii infection should be seriously concerned in our environment. Adequate and continuous control programs of stray cats are needed to reduce the risk of transmission of T. gondii as a zoonotic infection threatening the public health.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.457-460
• /
• 2006

A suspicious meningococcal meningitis death case was reported to the Beijing CDC. The blood specimen was analyzed via multi-PCR and MLST. 6 isolates from close contacts were analyzed via PFGE and MLST. According to the results of the above analyses, the cause of this case was identified as a serogroup A Neisseria meningitidis, which, in terms of sequence typing, belonged the ST7 group.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.111-119
• /
• 2016

Background: Shift work and/or sleep quality may affect health. We investigated whether shift work and sleep quality, separately and jointly, were associated with abnormal levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol (TC), and low-and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in 360 police officers (27.5% women). Methods: Triglycerides, TC, and high-density lipoprotein were analyzed on the Abbott Architect; low-density lipoprotein was calculated. Shift work was assessed using City of Buffalo payroll work history records. Sleep quality (good, ${\leq}5$; intermediate, 6-8; poor, ${\geq}9$) was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire. A shift work + sleep quality variable was created: day plus good sleep; day plus poor sleep; afternoon/night plus good; and poor sleep quality. Mean values of lipid biomarkers were compared across categories of the exposures using analysis of variance/analysis of covariance. Results: Shift work was not significantly associated with lipids. However, as sleep quality worsened, mean levels of triglycerides and TC gradually increased but only among female officers (age- and race-adjusted p = 0.013 and 0.030, respectively). Age significantly modified the association between sleep quality and TC. Among officers ${\geq}40$ years old, those reporting poor sleep quality had a significantly higher mean level of TC ($202.9{\pm}3.7mg/dL$) compared with those reporting good sleep quality ($190.6{\pm}4.0mg/dL$) (gender- and race-adjusted p = 0.010). Female officers who worked the day shift and also reported good sleep quality had the lowest mean level of TC compared with women in the other three categories (p = 0.014). Conclusion: Sleep quality and its combined influence with shift work may play a role in the alteration of some lipid measures.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.30-38
• /
• 2019

Background: Police officers' stress perception, frequency of stressful events (stressors), and police work characteristics may contribute to poor sleep quality through different mechanisms. Methods: We investigated associations of stress severity (measured by stress rating score) and frequency of stressors with sleep quality and examined the influence of police work characteristics including workload, police rank, prior military experience, and shift work on the associations. Participants were 356 police officers (256 men and 100 women) enrolled in the Buffalo Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress Study from 2004 to 2009. A mean stress rating score and mean frequency of stressors occurring in the past month were computed for each participant from the Spielberger Police Stress Survey data. Sleep quality was assessed using the global score derived from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index survey. Linear associations of the stress rating score and frequency of stressors with sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index global score) were tested. Age, sex, race/ethnicity, and smoking status were selected as potential confounders. Results: The stress rating score was positively and independently associated with poor sleep quality (${\beta}=0.17$, p = 0.002). Only workload significantly modified this association (${\beta}=0.23$, p = 0.001 for high workload group; p-interaction = 0.109). The frequency of stressors was positively and independently associated with poor sleep quality (${\beta}=0.13$, p = 0.025). Only police rank significantly modified the association (${\beta}=0.007$, p = 0.004 for detectives/other executives; p-interaction = 0.076). Conclusion: Both police officers' perception of stress severity and the frequency of stressors are associated with poor sleep quality. Stress coping or sleep promotion regimens may be more beneficial among police officers reporting high workloads.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.59 no.6
• /
• pp.595-605
• /
• 2021

An understanding of the knowledges, attitudes and perceptions of different populations is key for public health policy makers. Here, a survey was performed on knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions about malaria diagnosis, prevention, control, and treatment. The 407 survey participants included both uninfected inhabitants and patients from 2 cities (Gimpo- and Paju-si) of Northern Gyeonggi-do, known as high-risk areas for vivax malaria. We used community-based study design and non-probability sampling method using the primary data. Association between variables were tested using χ²-tests. In general, the information on malaria reported by the participants in this study was unsystematic and included inaccurate details. The knowledge of malaria symptoms, identified as headache, chills and fever, was high, but the surveyed community lacks knowledge of the specific medications used for malaria treatment, with a large number of respondents having no knowledge of any form of medication. Survey questions with high correct answer rates included questions about easy treatment of malaria in Korea, the high daytime activity of malaria-borne mosquitoes, and the infection risk posed by outdoor activities. However, a large portion of the respondents was unable to provide simple medical and biological information about the disease. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practical behavior of the surveyed community with respect to malaria and the implications reported here could be applicable to other malaria endemic areas in Korea.

• Journal of fish pathology
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.103-112
• /
• 2011

An epidemic was occurred in Stephanolepis cirrhifer during acclimation in laboratory tanks (water temperature was about $17^{\circ}C$). Diseased fish showed an unique external sign, large cloudy skin surface. We investigated the cause of the disease, and isolated one pure cultured bacterium, that was identified as Vibrio anguillarum by biochemical analysis and sequence analysis of the l6S rRNA and recA genes. During the outbreak, about 30% of S. cirrhifer showed the large cloudy skin surface, and approximately 10% of the stocked fish died. Fish were effectively cured by treatment with oxolinic acid.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.51-53
• /
• 2007

Ginseng shows protective and trophic effects in neurodegenerative diseases in experimental models, and showed cognitive improvement in normal population. To investigate the efficacy of ginseng in patients with Alzheimer's disease, patients, who met NINDS-ADRDA criteria for AD were studied Subjects were randomly assigned to ginseng group and control group, and ginseng group was treated with Korean white ginseng powder (4.5 g/day) for 12 weeks. Efficacy variables included changes in mini-mental status exam (MMSE) and cognitive subscales of Alzheimer's disease assessment scale (ADAS-cog) at 4 weeks and 12 weeks. Baseline MMSE and ADAS scores showed no difference between the two groups. Results showed that ginseng improved ADAS-cog compared to the control group at 12 weeks (p<0.05). MMSE was also increased by ginseng treatment compared to the control at 12 weeks (p<0.01). This study suggests the symptomatic efficacy of ginseng in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

• Journal of fish pathology
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.141-152
• /
• 2011

Growth, oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity of Fucus serratus exposed to high doses of Cd were examined. Two sites in Southwest England (Restronguet Point and Bantham Quay) were selected since they had different histories of metal contamination. 1~10 mg Cd $L^{-1}$ were treated to Aquil medium for up to 14 days. Similar levels of lipid peroxidation but different values of relative growth rates, cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging capacity indicated that F. serratus has population-dependent antioxidant strategies. F. serratus demonstrated cadmium resistance with no visual symptoms for 14 days and the population from the polluted area seemed to have more powerful antioxidant strategies. However Fucus from the conserved area also showed protective anti oxidative mechanism.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.56 no.6
• /
• pp.589-596
• /
• 2018

Ticks are the vectors of various pathogens, threatening human health and animal production across the globe. Here, for the first time we detected Ricketssia spp., Borrelia spp. and protozoan in ticks from Poyang Lake region in Jiangxi Province of eastern China. In 3 habitat categories and on 12 host species, 311 ticks from 11 species were collected. Haemaphysalis longicornis was the predominant species, accounting for 55.63%, followed by Rhipicephalus microplus, Haemaphysalis flava and Ixodes granulatus. Of the collected ticks, 7.07% were positive for tick-borne pathogens, and H. longicornis and H. flava were found to be co-infected with Ricketssia spp. and protozoan. H. flava was the most detected positive for tick-borne pathogens, whereas H. longicornis had the lowest infection rate, and the difference in infection rates between tick species was significant (${\chi}^2=61.24$, P<0.001). Furthermore, adult ticks demonstrated remarkably greater infection rate than immature ticks (${\chi}^2=10.12$, P=0.018), meanwhile ticks on Erinaceidae showed significantly higher positivity than ticks collected on other host species (${\chi}^2=108.44$, P<0.001). Genetic fragment sequencing and analyses showed at least 4 pathogen species presence in ticks, namely Borrelia yangtzensis, Rickettsia slovaca or Rickettsia raoultii related genospecies, Babesia vogeli and Hepatozoon canis or Hepatozoon felis related genospecies. The finding indicates that the abundant ticks can carry diverse pathogens in Poyang Lake region, and pathogen infection is highly related to species, vertebrate hosts and life stages of ticks.