• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2003

Objective:Some candidate gene polymorphisms were reported to be associated with tardive dyskinesia (TD). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of the 5-$HT_{2A}$ receptor gene polymorphisms with TD in Korean schizophrenic subjects. Method:Subjects were of 59 schizophrenic patients with TD and 60 schizophrenic patients without TD for studying of 5-$HT_{2A}$ receptor gene polymorphisms. TD was evaluated using the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale(AIMS). Genomic DNA was amplified by PCR and digestion with MspI and BsmI. Result:There were no statistically significant differences in the demographic variables, such as age, male to female percentage, duration of illnesses and duration of antipsychotic drug exposure between the TD group and control group. 1) T102C polymorphisms and TD Comparing the TD group and control group, the 102T/C allele was associated with a significantly increased risk for TD (${\chi}^2$=5.560, df=1, p=0.018). 2) Three AIMS categories of TD and T102C genotype. There were statistically significant differences in the three AIMS categories(${\chi}^2$=6.835, df=2, p=0.033). Conclusion:These result suggest 102T/C genotypes of the 5-$HT_{2A}$ receptor gene are related to the development of TD. The 102T/C genotypes were associated with significantly higher AIMS orofacial dyskinesia scores. These findings suggest that the 5-$HT_{2A}$ receptor gene is significantly associated with susceptibility to TD in patients with chronic schizophrenia.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.262-266
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• 2008

Purpose : Glutathione S-transferase (GST) is a polymorphic supergene family of detoxification enzymes that are involved in the metabolism of numerous diseases. Several allelic variants of GSTs show impaired enzyme activity and are suspected to increase the susceptibility to diseases. Bilirubin is bound efficiently by GST members. The most commonly expressed gene in the liver is GSTM1, and GSTT1 is expressed predominantly in the liver and kidneys. To ascertain the relationship between GST and neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, the distribution of the polymorphisms of GSTT1 and GSTM1 were investigated in this study. Methods : Genomic DNA was isolated from 88 patients and 186 healthy controls. The genotypes were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results : The overall frequency of the GSTM1 null was lower in patients compared to controls (P=0.0187, Odds ratio (OR) =0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.31-0.88). Also, the GSTT1 null was lower in patients compared to controls (P=0.0014, OR=0.41, 95% CI=0.24-0.70). Moreover, the frequency of the null type of both, in the combination of GSTM1 and GSTT1, was significantly reduced in jaundiced patients (P=0.0008, OR=0.31, 95% CI=0.17-0.61). Conclusion : We hypothesized that GSTM1 and GSTT1 might be associated with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. However, the GSTT1 and GSTM1 null type was reduced in patients. Therefore the null GSTT1, null GSTM1, and null type of both in the combination of GSTM1 and GSTT1 may be not a risk factor of neonatal jaundice.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.189-193
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• 2013

Many epidemiological studies in Asian populations have investigated associations between the Arg399Gln gene polymorphism of X-ray repair cross complementing gene 1 (XRCC1) and risk of cervical carcinoma, but no conclusions have been available because of controversial results. Therefore a meta-analysis was conducted for clarification. Relevant studies were identified by searching the Pubmed, Embase, the Web of Science, Cochrane Collaboration's database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database and China Biological Medicinse (CBM) until September, 2012. A total of eight studies were included in the present meta-analysis, which described 1,759 cervical carcinoma cases and 2,497 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) as effect size were calculated by fixed-effect or random-effect models. The overall results indicated that the XRCC1-399G/A polymorphism was marginally associated with cervical carcinoma in Asians: OR (95%CI): 1.16 (1.07, 1.26) in the G/A vs G/G inheritance model, 1.24 (0.87, 1.76)in A/A vs G/G inheritance model, 1.13 (1.01, 1.27) in the dominant inheritance model and 1.18 (0.94, 1.47) in the recessive inheritance model. Subgroup analyses on sample size showed no significant correlation in the small-sample size group but the large-sample size group was consistent with the outcomes of overall meta-analysis. In the subgroup analysis by regions, we only found significant association under the G/A vs G/G inheritance model in the Chinese population. For the non-Chinese populations, no correlation was detected in any genetic inheritance model. In the Asian populations, XRCC1-399G/A gene polymorphism was implied to be associated with cervical carcinoma.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2010

Purpose : This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) nasal carriage in Korean children attending day care centers. Methods : During September and October 2009, a survey for nasal carriage of S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was conducted among children attending day care centers located in Seoul with questionnaire survey for evaluation of risk factors of acquisition of MRSA was obtained from their guardians. A culture of the anterior nares swabs using enrichment broth was executed for isolating S. aureus and oxacillin susceptibility was assessed by the disk diffusion method. Results : Out of the 428 children enrolled whose mean age was 55 months old, 163 (38.1%) were colonized with S. aureus. Of the 163 isolates, 40 (24.5%) were MRSA. The nasal carriage rate of S. aureus showed an increasing trend with increase of age. Based on the answer to the questionnaire, 9.2% and 3.6% of children had a recent history of hospitalization and surgery, respectively, and approximately 40% of children had a history of prescription of antibiotics within 1 year prior to enrollment. Of the 428 subjects, 40 (9.3%) were MRSA nasal carriers. Conclusion : S. aureus and MRSA carriage rate of children attending day care center in Korea was 38.1% and 9.3%, respectively. Continued surveillance for nasal carriage rate of S. aureus and MRSA (especially community-associated MRSA) is mandatory.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3721-3729
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• 2014

Background: Cancer is becoming the most important public health burden around the globe. As per the GLOBOCAN 2008 estimates, about 12.7 million cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths were estimated to have occurred in 2008. The burden of cancer cases for India in the year 2020 is calculated to be 1,148,757 (male 534,353; female 614,404) compared to 979,786 in 2010. The pattern of cancer incidence is varying among geographical regions, esophageal cancer for example being high in China, lung cancer in USA, and gallbladder cancer in Chile. The question remains why? Is it due to the diversity in genome pool, food habits, risk factor association and role of genetic susceptibility or some other factors associated with it? In India, the North East (NE)-India region is seeing a marked increase in cancer incidence and deaths, with a very different cancer incidence pattern compared to mainland India. The genome pool of the region is also quite distinct from the rest of India. Northeastern tribes are quite distinct from other groups; they are more closely related to East Asians than to other Indians. In this paper an attempt was made to see whether there is any similarity among the pattern of cancer incidence cases for different sites of NE-India region to South or East-Asia. Materials and Methods: Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), Pearson Correlation coefficient test was assessed to evaluate the linkage of North-East India region to other regions. A p value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The results clearly shows that there are similarities in occurrence of cancer incidence patterns for various cancer sites of NE-India with South and East-Asian regions, which may lead to the conclusion that there might be a genetic linkage between these regions.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 1992

Vibrio vuln$cus has been recognized as a pathogen of septicemia and wound infection, when the organism attacks high-risk persons with a history of hepatic disease. alcohol abuse. diabetes or any debilitative disease. Forty six strains of K vulnzjicus. isolated from 1025 marine specimens from May to Novemver for three years. from 1985 to 1987. were studied for their biochemical properties. growth requirements, serotype and drug susceptibilities. The isolates were different in their various biochemical reactions. Ninety-five percent of isolated strains were able to ferment lactose, while most strains didn't utilize sucrose in their biochemical test, for example ornithine, gelatin and mannitol were quite dit'ferent composition than those described in other reports. It was found that the biochemical test wasn't useful for identifying strain. The type of somatic 0 antiserum was determined in isolates from marine sources and in patients with Vibrio septicemia. In patient isolates. 1-2 group were 24% and 1-4 group were 42%. However. 02 group(33%) were more abundant in isolates from marine sources. Minimal inhibitory concentrations(M1Cs) of chloramphenicol, tetracycline. erythromycin and ampicillin were determinef for V vuln~ficus by broth dilution method. MIC90 was I , 0.25, :! and 4,ug/ml in patient isolates. 1, 0.25, 2 and 2 ,ug/ml in marine isolates. The divalent chelating agent, IDTA. inhibited the growth of V. vuln!'ficus at 6.25 mMlml of MIC90.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.96-104
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• 2013

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that produces a wide array of toxins, leading to a number of adverse symptoms. We examined 275 strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from various foods between 2006 and 2008 for antimicrobial susceptibility. At least 259 (94.2%) of the tested strains showed antibiotic resistant properties, and 106 (40.7%) of them showed multiple antibiotic resistance. Eleven of the tested strains were resistant to oxacillin and mec A-positive. Moreover, oxacillin-resistant strains were significantly more likely to be multi-drug resistant (p < 0.01). Of the 275 isolates tested, 24.4% were noted as being positive for slime production and 30.5% were positive for biofilm assay. Antibiotic resistance was not associated with a significantly higher prevalence of biofilm formation. Twenty strains were classified using the DiversiLab system. Most of the strains could be classified into 2 clusters and 4 unique types. All 10 mec A-positive strains (cluster I) were grouped together into the same sub-cluster. Cluster II (6 strains) was not found to be resistant to oxacillin in this study. Although the prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus in food is currently low, the risk of its transmission through the food chain cannot be disregarded.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.78-82
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• 2005

Fishermen have higher risk of occupational injuries and disease due to frequent machine usage and direct contact to live biological materials. Moreover, growing elderly workers makes the susceptibility to occupational injuries and disease higher. This study was performed to investigate the occupational safety and health status among fishermen. The interview was carried out at Jumunjin and Geojin ports which were representative port at North East side of Korea. The structured questionnaire were used to interview the fishermen from AM 6:00 to PM 11:00 and total respondent were 97 workers. The results were followed; 7 fishermen of all respondents experienced occupational injuries during their work, 5 fishermen were needed to admission longer than 4 days. The injury types were contusion(4 persons), fracture(1 persons) and amputation(2 persons). The cause of injury might be the lack of caution and the unstability of working condition. These results suggested the ergonomical evaluation of working condition and proper management. But there was limited concern and studies on the policy on occupational safety and health on fishermen. So, further study was required to establish the sound policy of fishermen's occupational safety and health.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.71-79
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• 2014

Although Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are generally treated by western medicine, many of them strongly believe in the traditional oriental Sasang constitutional classification and depend on it for food, health supplements, and oriental medicines decision making. Sasang constitutional classification is a part of traditional Korean medicine that divides people into four constitutional types (Tae-Yang: TY, Tae-Eum: TE, So-Yang: SY, and So-Eum: SE), which differ in inherited characteristics such as appearance, personality traits, susceptibility to diseases, and drug responses. It is recommended for T2DM patients to control their blood glucose very well from early stages with drugs and diet. However, many T2DM patients respond differently to their drugs, even though they receive the same medicine. Therefore, the present study investigated whether Sasang constitutional type can explain the therapeutic differences between oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) therapy (mono, dual and triple drug therapy). Patients of 618 with T2DM diagnosis and Sasang constitutional type known who received both western and oriental medicine treatment in a hospital between April 2006 and April 2013 retrospectively studied. HbA1c (%) and blood glucose (mg/dl) levels before OHAs therapy and 3 month after were collected for metformin (MET) or sulfonylurea (SU) monotherapy, MET+SU dual therapy, MET+except SU (where was either alpha-glucosidase inhibitor, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, meglitinide or thiazolidinedione) dual therapy, and triple therapy, according to Sasang constitutional type. For statistical analysis, ANOVA was used and paired t-test by SPSS 19.0 where P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Pattern was similar levels of HbA1c and blood glucose and which was decreased in order of mono, MET+SU dual, MET+except SU dual and triple therapy. In all patients comparison, for the So-yang (SY) constitutional type, either monotherapy was less effective; for Te-eum (TE) type, MET+SU dual therapy was less effective while MET+except SU dual therapy was more effective and the triple therapy was less effective; and for So-eum (SE) type, the triple therapy was more effective. For the management of TE type it is recommended to use drugs except SU when dual therapy is needed, restrict triple therapy and consider dual and insulin therapy; for SY type it is recommended to follow current guidelines; and for SE type it is advisable to skip dual therapy and start the triple therapy early. Finally, the therapeutic response to OHAs is different among Korean T2DM patients with different Sasang constitutional types. Taken together, the choice of effective OHAs therapy for each type is necessary in order to minimize the poor control of blood glucose level, the risk of complications, and the costs from a failure of therapy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.714-720
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• 2012

To evaluate the antibiotic risk of $Enterococcus$ in fermented soy paste, $Enterococcus$ spp. were isolated and identified from 31 $Cheongkukjang$ and 17 $Doenjang$, samples. Exactly 123 $Enterococcus$ spp., 119 from $Cheongkukjang$ and four from $Doenjang$, were ultimately isolated. The most frequently collected $Enterococcus$ isolates in $Cheongkukjang$ were 69 strains of $E.$ $faecium$ and 20 strains of $E.$ $faecalis$. All four $Enterococcus$ spp. from $Deonjang$ were identified as $E.$ $faecium$. All isolates were sensitive to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, penicillin, and tetracyclin $E.$ However, they showed broad spectra from sensitivity to resistance to erythromycin, ripampin, and streptomycin. Vancomycin minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of $Enterococcus$ spp. from $Cheongkukjang$ ranged from 0.25 to 8 ${\mu}g/mL$. Almost all strains were sensitive to vancomycin, but eight strains showed intermediate resistance to vancomycin. Seventeen strains showing the highest MIC of 8 ${\mu}g/mL$ among all isolates were evenly distributed among $E.$ $faecalis$, $E.$ $faecium$, $E.$ $gallinarum$, and $E.$ $casselifalvus$, in which the strong resistant genes of $van$A and $van$B for vancomycin were not detected. Overall antibiotic resistance of $Enterococcus$ isolates was relatively low and particularly low vancomycin resistance was similar to those of $Enterococcus$ isolates obtained from other foods. Therefore, the antibiotics resistance of $Enterococcus$ and especially vancomycin-resistant $Enterococcus$ spp. from $Cheongkukjang$ and $Doenjang$, is not hazardous.