• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제44권2호
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• pp.123-130
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• 2011

Background: The aim of the present study was to identify chromosomal loci that contribute to the pathogenesis of aortic dissection (AD) in a Korean population using array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and to confirm the results using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Materials and Methods: Eighteen patients with ADs were enrolled in this study. Genomic DNA was extracted from individual blood samples, and array CGH analyses were performed. Four corresponding genes with obvious genomic changes were analyzed using real-time PCR in order to assess the level of genomic imbalance identified by array CGH. Results: Genomic gains were most frequently detected at 8q24.3 (56%), followed by regions 7q35, 11q12.2, and 15q25.2 (50%). Genomic losses were most frequently observed at 4q35.2 (56%). Real-time PCR confirmed the results of the array CGH studies of the COL6A2, DGCR14, PCSK6, and SDHA genes. Conclusion: This is the first study to identify candidate regions by array CGH in patients with ADs. The identification of genes that may predispose an individual to AD may lead to a better understanding of the mechanism of AD formation. Further multicenter studies comparing cohorts of patients of different ethnicities are warranted.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제23권7호
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• pp.993-1003
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• 2013

Methanotrophs are the most important sink of $CH_4$, which is a more highly potent greenhouse gas than $CO_2$. Methanotrophic abundance and community diversity in cover soils from two typical semi-aerobic landfills (SALs) in China were detected using real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time-PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) based on 16S rRNA genes, respectively. Real time-PCR showed that Type I methanotrophs ranged from $1.07{\times}10^6$ to $2.34{\times}10^7$ copies/g soil and that of Type II methanotrophs from $1.51{\times}10^7$ to $1.83{\times}10^8$ copies/g soil. The ratio of Type II to Type I methanotrophic copy numbers ranged from 5.61 to 21.89, indicating that Type II methanotrophs dominated in SAL. DGGE revealed that Type I methanotrophs responded more sensitively to the environment, changing as the community structure varied with different soil types and locations. Methylobacter, Methylosarcina, and Methylomicrobium for Type I, and Methylocystis for Type II were most prevalent in the SAL cover layer. Abundant interflow $O_2$ with high $CH_4$ concentration in SALs is the reason for the higher population density of methanotrophs and the higher enrichment of Type II methanotrophs compared with anaerobic landfills and other ecosystems, which proved a conclusion that increasing the oxygen supply in a landfill cover layer would greatly improve $CH_4$ mitigation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제41권3호
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• pp.326-329
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• 2017

Background: Cultivated ginseng is often introduced as a substitute and adulterant of Russian wild ginseng due to its lower cost or misidentification caused by similarity in appearance with wild ginseng. The aim of this study is to develop a simple and reliable method to differentiate Russian wild ginseng from cultivated ginseng. Methods: The mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 7 (nad7) intron 3 regions of Russian wild ginseng and Chinese cultivated ginseng were analyzed. Based on the multiple sequence alignment result, a specific primer for Russian wild ginseng was designed by introducing additional mismatch and allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for identification of wild ginseng. Real-time allele-specific PCR with endpoint analysis was used for validation of the developed Russian wild ginseng single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker. Results: An SNP site specific to Russian wild ginseng was exploited by multiple alignments of mitochondrial nad7 intron 3 regions of different ginseng samples. With the SNP-based specific primer, Russian wild ginseng was successfully discriminated from Chinese and Korean cultivated ginseng samples by allele-specific PCR. The reliability and specificity of the SNP marker was validated by checking 20 individuals of Russian wild ginseng samples with real-time allele-specific PCR assay. Conclusion: An effective DNA method for molecular discrimination of Russian wild ginseng from Chinese and Korean cultivated ginseng was developed. The established real-time allele-specific PCR was simple and reliable, and the present method should be a crucial complement of chemical analysis for authentication of Russian wild ginseng.

• 상하수도학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.199-205
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• 2009

It is very important to differentiate of DNA derived from live or dead bacteria within mixed microbial communities in aquatic environments. Ethidium monoazide (EMA) is a DNA intercalating agent and the treatment of EMA with strong visible light cleaves the genomic DNA of bacteria. In dead bacterial cells, EMA intercalates into the genomic DNA, induces the cleavage of DNA, and inhibits the PCR amplification. In this study, we developed the EMA-PCR and EMA real-time PCR to detect the DNA derived from viable Escherichia coli (E.coli) in mixed cultures of live and dead E.coli. The treatment of EMA, $50{\mu}g/mL$, and 650 W visible halogen light exposure for 2 minutes cleaved the genomic DNA derived from heat killed E.coli but did not those of live E.coli. EMA-PCR could detect the DNA from live E.coli in mixed culture samples of live and dead E.coli at various ratio and there was no DNA amplification in only dead E.coli cultures. Similar results were observed in EMA real-time PCR. Further studies are needed to develop various EMA-PCR methods to detect viable waterborne pathogens such as Helicobacter pylori, Giardia lamblia, and so on.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.482-487
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• 2019

Background: The mixed-cultivation of different Panax ginseng cultivars can cause adverse effects on stability of yield and quality. K-1 is a superior cultivar with good root shape and stronger disease resistance. DNA markers mined from functional genes are clearly desirable for K-1, as they may associate with major traits and can be used for marker-assisted selection to maintain the high quality of Korean ginseng. Methods: Five genes encoding pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins of P. ginseng were amplified and compared for polymorphism mining. Primary, secondary, and tertiary structures of PR5 protein were analyzed by ExPASy-ProtParam, PSSpred, and I-TASSER methods, respectively. A coding single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based specific primer was designed for K-1 by introducing a destabilizing mismatch within the 3' end. Allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time allele-specific PCR assays were conducted for molecular discrimination of K-1 from other cultivars and landraces. Results: A coding SNP leading to the modification of amino acid residue from aspartic acid to asparagine was exploited in PR5 gene of K-1 cultivar. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the modification of amino acid residue changed the secondary and tertiary structures of the PR5 protein. Primer KSR was designed for specific discrimination of K-1 from other ginseng cultivars and landraces. The developed real-time allele-specific PCR assay enabled easier automation and accurate genotyping of K-1 from a large number of ginseng samples. Conclusion: The SNP marker and the developed real-time allele-specific PCR assay will be useful not only for marker-assisted selection of K-1 cultivar but also for quality control in breeding and seed programs of P. ginseng.

• 한국동물위생학회지
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• 제45권2호
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• pp.87-99
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• 2022

A novel porcine circovirus 4 (PCV4) was recently emerged in Chinese and Korean pig herds, which provided epidemiological situation where three pathogenic PCVs, PCV2, PCV3, and newly emerged PCV4, could co-infect pig herds in these countries. In this study, a new triplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (tqPCR) method was developed for the rapid and differential detection of these viruses. The assay specifically amplified each viral capsid gene, whereas no other porcine pathogenic genes were detected. The detection limit of the assay was below 10 copies/µL and the assay showed high repeatability and reproducibility. In the clinical evaluation using 1476 clinical samples from 198 Korean pig farms, the detection rates of PCV2, PCV3 and PCV4 by the tqPCR assay were 13.8%, 25.4%, and 3.8%, respectively, which were 100% agreement with those of previously reported monoplex qPCR assays for PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4, with a κ value (95% CI) of 1 (1.00~1.00). The prevalence of PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4 at the farm levels were 46.5%, 63.6%, and 19.7%, respectively. The co-infection analysis for tested pig farms showed that single infection rates for PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4 were 28.8%, 44.4%, and 9.6%, respectively, the dual infection rates of PCV2 and PCV3, PCV2 and PCV4, and PCV3 and PCV4 were 12.6%, 3.5%, and 5.1%, respectively, and the triple infection rate for PCV2, PCV3, and PCV4 was 1.5%. These results demonstrate that three pathogenic PCVs are widely spread, and their co-infections are common in Korean pig herds, and the newly developed tqPCR assay will be useful for etiological and epidemiological studies of these pathogenic PCVs.

• 대한의생명과학회지
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.302-309
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• 2020

Human Coxsackievirus B5 (HuCoxV-B5) infection has been associated with various diseases such as myocarditis, aseptic meningitis, hand-foot-and mouth-disease, and insulin-dependent diabetes. HuCoxV-B5 is a virus transmitted through the fecal-oral route and is detected in clinics, aquatic environments, food, shellfish, etc. and is one of the more important viruses in public health because of its incidence rate reported worldwide. In this study, a combination of SYBR Green-based real-time PCR primers for molecular diagnosis including monitoring of HuCoxV-B5 was selected and the optimal reaction conditions were established. Compared with the previously reported TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR method, assessments including a sample applicability test were performed. Results showed that the real-time PCR method developed in this study was suitable for a molecular diagnostic technique for detecting HuCoxV-B5. This study is expected to contribute to efforts in responding to safety accidents in public health because the proposed method facilitates rapid diagnosis of clinical patients. It can also be used as a specific monitoring tool of HuCoxV-B5 in non-clinical areas such as aquatic environments among others.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제69권4호
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• pp.250-255
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• 2010

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate recently developed real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay kit to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in respiratory specimens. Methods: We assessed the positive rate of the real-time PCR assay to detect MTB and NTM in 87 culture-positive specimens (37 sputum, 50 bronchial washing), which were performed real-time PCR by using $Real-Q_{TM}$ MTB&NTM Kit from January 2009 to June 2009, at Gyeongsang University Hospital. To compare the efficacy with the TB-PCR assay, we evaluated 63 culture-positive specimens (19 sputum, 44 bronchial washing) for MTB or NTM, which were performed TB-PCR by using ABSOLUTETM MTB II PCR Kit from March 2008 to August 2008. Results: Among 87 specimens tested using real-time PCR, MTB and NTM were cultured in 58 and 29, respectively. The positive rate of real-time PCR assay to detect MTB was 71% (22/31) and 92.6% (25/27) in AFB stain-negative and stain-positive specimens. For NTM, the positive rate of real-time PCR was 11.1% (2/18) and 72.7% (8/11) in AFB stain-negative and stain-positive specimens. Among 63 specimens performed using TB-PCR, MTB and NTM were cultured in 46 and 17, respectively. The positive rate of TB-PCR was 61.7% (21/34) and 100% (12/12) in AFB stain-negative and stain-positive specimens. TB-PCR was negative in all NTM-cultured 17 specimens. Conclusion: TB/NTM real-time PCR assay is useful to differentiate MTB and NTM in AFB stain-positive respiratory specimens and it is as effective in detecting MTB with TB-PCR.

• 대한소아치과학회지
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• 제45권1호
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• pp.32-40
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• 2018

본 연구는 치태의 성숙도에 따라 치태를 서로 다른 색상으로 염색하는 GC Tri Plaque ID $Gel^{TM}$(GC corporation, Tokyo, Japan)을 이용하여 치아 우식 위험도를 평가하고자 하였다. 치아 우식의 발생 및 진행과 연관된 균인 Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Lactobacillus spp.의 수를 Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR)로 측정하여 치아 우식 위험도를 보았다. 본 실험은 강릉원주대학교 치과병원 임상시험 심사위원회의 심의를 받고 진행하였다. 강릉원주대학교 치과병원 소아치과에 내원한 전신질환이 없는 건강한 9 - 12세의 초등학생 15명의 치면을 착색제로 염색하였다. 치태의 성숙도에 따라 서로 다른 세가지 색상으로 염색되었으며 색상별로 3개의 실험군인 I군(pink/red), II군(blue/purple), III군(light blue)으로 나누었다. 3개의 실험군에서 각각 DNA를 추출한 후, qRT-PCR을 이용하여 S. mutans, S. sobrinus, Lactobacillus spp.의 수를 측정하였다. 3개의 실험군 사이에 S. mutans, S. sobrinus와 Lactobacillus spp. 균 수의 유의한 차이가 관찰되었으며 3종류의 균 모두 III군에서 가장 많이 관찰되었다(p < 0.05). GC Tri Plaque ID $Gel^{TM}$는 기존 착색제와는 달리 치태의 성숙도에 따라 서로 다른 세가지 색상으로 염색되며, 치태 염색 색상의 차이는 치아 우식 관련 균 수의 차이를 보여주었다. GC Tri Plaque ID $Gel^{TM}$이 치아 우식 위험도를 평가하는 하나의 지표로서 사용될 수 있는 가능성을 확인하였다.

• 대한소아치과학회지
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• 제45권3호
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• pp.354-362
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• 2018

Periogen은 실시간 PCR 방법을 이용한 우식활성 검사법으로, 치아우식 유발균에 대한 정량적인 분석을 통해 개개인의 치아우식 위험도를 평가한다. 이 연구는 소아에서 Periogen과 치아우식 경험 지수(dmft, dmft indices)와의 상관성을 평가하고, 기존의 치아우식 위험 검사법인 Cariview, 치아우식 평가 도구(Caries Assessment Tool)와 비교할 목적으로 시행되었다. 만 6세 미만 83명의 소아를 대상으로 실험이 진행되었다. 시진을 통해 치아우식 경험 지수(dmft, dmft indices)가 기록되었으며, 간단한 설문 조사를 통해 CAT 평가 시행되었다. Periogen, Cariview는 제조사의 지시에 따라 치아우식 위험도 평가 시행되었다. 그 결과 Periogen, Cariview 그리고 CAT는 dmfts index와 상관계수가 각각 0.38, 0.56, 0.66을 보여 모두 중등도의 상관관계를 보였다(p < 0.01). Periogen, Cariview 그리고 CAT의 민감도와 특이도 분석의 경우, 민감도는 각각 43%, 76%, 95%를 보였으며, 특이도는 각각 80%, 72%, 74%를 보였다. ROC 곡선의 곡선하면적(AUC)는 각각 0.69, 0.81, 0.85를 보였다. Periogen의 경우 다른 기존의 두 가지 검사법에 비해 치아우식 위험도 평가에 있어 더 낮은 유효성을 보였다. 따라서 임상적으로 사용되기 위해서는 더 나은 유효성을 위한 개량이 필요할 것으로 보인다.