• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1813-1817
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• 2013

Background: Multiple etiologic factors are suspected to cause gastric cancer, the most important of which is infection with virulent types of Helicobacter pylori. Materials and Methods: We have compared 102 gastric cancer patients with 122 non-ulcer, non-cancer dyspeptic patients. Gastric specimens were evaluated for H. pylori infection by tissue-based detection methods. Patient sera underwent antigen-specific ELISA and western blotting using a Helicoblot 2.1 kit and antibody responses to various H. pylori antigens were assessed. Results: The absolute majority (97-100%) of both groups were H. pylori seropositive. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated serum antibodies to the low molecular weight 35kDa protein to be protective and reduce the risk of gastric cancer by 60% (OR:0.4; 95%CI:0.1-0.9). Conversely, seroreactivity to the 89kDa (VacA) protein was significantly higher in gastric cancer patients (OR:2.7; 95%CI:1.0-7.1). There was a highly significant association (p<0.001) between seroreactivity to the 116kDa (CagA) and 89kDa (VacA) proteins, and double positive subjects were found at nearly five fold (OR:4.9; 95%CI:1.0-24.4) enhanced risk of gastric cancer as compared to double negative subjects. Conclusions: Seroreactivity to H. pylori low (35kDa) and high (116kDa/89kDa) molecular weight antigens were respectively revealed as protective and risk indicators for gastric cancer.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.546-551
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• 1994

Gold therapy of rheumatoid arthritis is effective, but adverse reactions are also common. There are some cutaneous, hematologic, renal, and pulmonary side effects which have been associated with immunologic abnormalities. Also, hypersensitivity pneumonitis induced by gold therapy was rarely reported in literature. But, the mechanism for the induction of the pulmonary disease is not known. We report a case of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis presented as gold induced hypersensitivity pneumonitis which was confirmed by the peripheral blood lymphocyte stimulation test with gold.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.239-246
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• 2017

Strains of Toxoplasma gondii in Brazil are highly genetically diverse compared to strains from North America and Europe. Dogs are epidemiologically important because they act as sentinels for T. gondii infections in humans and are good indicators of environmental contamination. The aim of this study was to isolate and genetically characterize T. gondii strains from tissues of naturally infected Brazilian dogs. For this study, 21 blood samples were collected from dogs at the Zoonosis Control Centers of $Ilh{\acute{e}}us$ and Itabuna cities, Bahia, Brazil. The sera were examined for T. gondii antibodies using the indirect hemagglutination test. Brains and hearts of seropositive dogs were bioassayed in mice to isolate and characterize T. gondii parasites by PCR-RFLP using 10 genetic markers (SAG1, newSAG2, SAG3, BTUB, c22-8, c29-2, GRA6, PK1, APICO, and L358). However, T. gondii was isolated from only 4 (57.1%) dogs, designated TgDgBr6, 13, 17, and 21. All strains were virulent, causing clinical changes (rough hair coat, lethargy, and abdominal distention) and the death of all mice within 8-20 days after inoculation. Genetic analysis of these 4 T. gondii isolates revealed 4 distinct genotypes with different clonal lineage combinations (types I, II, and III) and 2 atypical alleles. Using PCR-RFLP with several markers, this study contributes to evaluations of the genetic diversity of strains circulating in Brazil.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.705-712
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• 2015

Intestinal parasitic infections are one of the major causes of diarrhea in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive individuals. Antiretroviral therapy has markedly reduced the incidence of many opportunistic infections, but parasite-related diarrhea still remains frequent and often underestimated especially in developing countries. The present hospital-based study was conducted to determine the spectrum of intestinal parasitosis in adult HIV/AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) patients with or without diarrhea with the levels of $CD4^+$ T-cell counts. A total of 400 individuals were enrolled and were screened for intestinal parasitosis. Of these study population, 200 were HIV seropositives, and the remaining 200 were HIV uninfected individuals with or without diarrhea. Intestinal parasites were identified by using microscopy as well as PCR assay. A total of 130 (32.5%) out of 400 patients were positive for any kinds of intestinal parasites. The cumulative number of parasite positive patients was 152 due to multiple infections. A significant association of Cryptosporidium (P<0.001) was detected among individuals with $CD4^+$ T-cell counts less than $200cells/{\mu}l$.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.2865-2869
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• 2013

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can become chronic and if left untreated can progress to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Thailand is endemic for HBV and HCC is one of the top five cancers, causing deaths among Thai HBV-infected males. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at the KIF1B gene locus, rs17401966, has been shown to be strongly associated with the development of HBV-related HCC. However, there are no Thai data on genotypic distribution and allele frequencies of rs17401966. Thai HBV patients seropositive for HBsAg (n=398) were therefore divided into two groups: a case group (chronic HBV with HCC; n=202) and a control group (HBV carriers without HCC; n=196). rs17401966 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and analyzed by direct nucleotide sequencing. The genotypic distribution of rs174019660 for homozygous major genotype (AA), heterozygous minor genotype (AG) and homozygous minor genotype (GG) in the case group was 49.5% (n=100), 40.1% (n=81) and 10.4% (n=21), respectively, and in controls was 49.5% (n=97), 42.3% (n=83) and 8.2% (n=16). Binary logistic regression showed that rs17401966 was not statistically associated with the risk of HCC development in Thai chronic HBV patients (p-value=0.998, OR=1.00 and 95% CI=0.68-1.48). In conclusion, the KIF1B gene SNP (rs174019660) investigated in this study showed no significant association with HBV-related HCC in Thai patients infected with HBV, indicating that there must be other mechanisms or pathways involved in the development of HCC.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.9
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• pp.420-424
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• 2014

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is oncogenic and can transform B cells from a benign to a malignant phenotype. EBV infection is also associated with lymphoid interstitial pneumonia (LIP). Here, we report the case of a 14-year-old boy who was diagnosed with a latent EBV infection and underlying LIP, without any associated immunodeficiency. He had been EBV-seropositive for 8 years. The first clinical presentations were chronic respiratory symptoms and recurrent pneumonia. The symptoms worsened in the following 2 years. The results of in situ hybridization were positive for EBV, which led to a diagnosis of LIP. The diagnosis was confirmed by the results of a thoracoscopic lung biopsy. The EBV titer of the bronchoalveolar lavage specimens obtained after acyclovir treatment was found to be fluctuating. The patient had latent EBV infection for 8 years, until presented at the hospital with intermittent abdominal pain and distension. Physical examination and pelvic computed tomography revealed a large mesenteric mass. A biopsy of the excised mass led to a diagnosis of Burkitt's lymphoma (BL). The patient received combination chemotherapy for 4 months, consisting of vincristine, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisolone. He is now tumor-free, with the LIP under control, and is being followed-up at the outpatient clinic. This is the first report of a Korean case of chronic latent EBV infection that developed into LIP and BL in a nonimmunocompromised child.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.327-331
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• 2012

Monthly surveys were conducted to investigate the occurrence of chigger mites and seroprevalence of scrub typhus among small mammals in Jeollanam-do, the southwestern part of Korea, from November 2006 through October 2007. Fifty-eight small mammals, including 57 Apodemus agrarius (98.3%) and 1 Crocidura lasiura (1.7%), were captured, and a total of 4,675 chigger mites representing 4 genera and 8 species were collected from them. The chigger infestation rate among small mammals was 69.0%. The most predominant species in A. agrarius was Leptotrombidium scutellare (54.0%), followed by Leptotrombidium pallidum (39.4%), Leptotrombidium orientale (4.4%), Leptotrombidium palpale (1.1%), Neotrombicula tamiyai (0.6%), Eushoengastia koreaensis (0.3%), Neotrombicula gardellai (0.3%), and Cheladonta ikaoensis (<0.1%). The chigger index of A. agrarius was the highest in October (740.0), followed by November (242.0), September (134.6), March (98.3), February (38.2), January (35.3), December (34.5), April (30.8), and May (1.7). The average antibody positive rate of scrub typhus in wild rodents was 50.0%. The seropositive rates were high in October (100.0%) and November (83.3%), whereas those in other months were relatively low (28.6-57.1%). The chigger index of L. scutellare rapidly increased in September to form an acuminate peak in October, followed by a gradual decline. These results suggest that the outbreak of scrub typhus in the southwestern part of Korean peninsula is mostly due to L. scutellare.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2015

Objectives: The seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) among high-risk groups overseas is high, but studies in these groups are rare in South Korea. We conducted the present study from April to November 2012 to obtain data on the seroprevalence and associated risk factors for HEV among slaughterhouse workers in South Korea. Methods: Slaughterhouse workers from 80 workplaces nationwide were surveyed in South Korea in 2012. The subjects comprised 1848 cases: 1434 slaughter workers and 414 residual products handlers. By visiting 80 slaughterhouses, which were mixed with 75 of which also performed residual products handling, we conducted a questionnaire survey for risk factors and obtained blood samples in order to determine the seropositivity and seroprevalence of HEV. Anti-HEV IgG and IgM were measured using HEV IgG and IgM enzyme-linked immunospecific assay kits and HEV antigen was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: The seropositivity of anti-HEV IgG was 33.5% (slaughter workers 32.8% and residual products handlers 36.2%), and among the seropositive individuals the seroprevalence of anti-HEV IgM was 0.5% (slaughter workers 0.5%, residual products handlers 0.7%). The response rate of HEV-antigen as measured by RT-PCR was 0.2%. Risk factors significantly related to anti-HEV IgG seropositivity were age, sex, and working duration (slaughter workers only). Conclusions: There were significant risk factors (sex, age, and working duration) for HEV identified in our study. All three positive cases for HEV-antigen by RT-PCR were related to pig slaughter but without statistical significance. To prevent HEV, an educational program and working guidelines may be needed for high risk groups.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.147-153
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• 2016

A total of 782 blood and 465 tissue samples from 1,039 wild animals and 127 dairy goats were collected from January 2011 to December 2013 in 10 provinces of South Korea and tested for the presence of brucellosis. The Rose Bengal test revealed that 8.0% (52/650) of the serum samples were seropositive, while 4.2% (33/782) of the serum samples were positive for Brucella antibodies by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Of the 650 sera examined, only 16 (2.5%) were positive by both serological tests. Direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using B4/B5 primers for Brucella abortus (BCSP31) revealed the prevalence of Brucella to be 26.5% (129/487) in blood samples and 21% (98/465) in tissue samples while, 16S rRNA PCR detected Brucella DNA in 6.8% (33/487) and 2.6% (12/465) in blood and tissue samples, respectively. Of PCR-positive samples, only 6.2% (30/487) of blood samples and 2.4% (11/465) of tissue samples were found to be positive by both BCSP31 and 16S rRNA PCRs. However, Brucella strains were isolated by blood culture from only two out of 487 blood samples (0.4%). This characterization and identification of pathogenic Brucella isolates is the first to clearly indicate that the organisms were Brucella abortus biovar 1.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.171-179
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• 1986

The HLA class II region encodes a series of polymorphic glycoproteins that form cell surface heterodimers each consisting of one $\alpha$ and one $\beta$ chain. Thess class II molecules are encoded by genes clustered within three loci. DP, DQ, and DR are functfonally implicated as regulatory signals in intercellular communication during the immune resposes. The phenotypic hallmark of the HLA complex is a high degree of structural and functional polymorphism. Detailed analysis. of such polymorphisms should aid in understanding the molecular basis for associations between HLA and diseases. We have used techniques of restriction enzyme fragment analysis by Southern blotting to investigate polymorphisms associated with DQ $\beta$ class II genes on haplotypes expressing the HLA-DR4 and -DQw3 specificities. The endonucleases Hind III and Bam HI were used to identify a specific DQ $\beta$ genomic polymorphism that precisely corrresponds with the reactivity of a monoclonal antibody A-10-83, previously shown to define a serologic split of DQw3. This study identifies two allelic DQ va. riants. DQw3.1 and DQw3.2. We used these specific genotypic markers to investigate the genomic basis of the association of DR4 with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus(IDDM) and seropositive juvenile rheumatoid arthritis(JRA). The DR4 positive IDDM demonstrate the predominant expression of DQw3.2 and the very rare expression of DQw3.l. However, in haplotype matched siblings from two IDDM families, all of the DR4 positive siblings display a IDDM-associated DQw3.2 allele. Thus, both affected and healthy individuals can carry the same haplotypes and genomic markers, demonstrating that thess specific allelic variants are genetic elements that indicate a increased risk of IDDM but are not in fact disease specific. We contrasted this result with a similar analysis of patients with another DR4-associated disease, JRA. In contrast to the preponderance of the DQw3.2 allele in IDDM, the JRA patients expressed either the DQw3.1 or the DQw3.2 allele and sometimes both, without apparent association with disease expession. The different genomic markers reported here within HLA-DQ region potentially an analysis of HLA-associated function and disease susceptibility.