• 보건세계
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.5-7
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• 2014

우리나라 인구의 약 1/3이 결핵에 감염된 것으로 알려져 있다. 많은 사람들이 이 대목에서 깜짝 놀란다. '국민 3명 중 1명이 감염자라고?' 감염이 곧 '결핵'을 의미하는 것은 아니다. 하지만 감염이 된 사람은 언제든 결핵으로 진전될 가능성을 안고 있는, 잠재적 결핵환자이다. 이 페이지에서는 내 몸에 결핵균이 들어왔는지 여부를 확인 할 수 있는 TST, 즉 투베르쿨린 피부검사에 대해 알아보기로 한다.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.369-379
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• 2003

Analysis of high-resolution seismic profiles and sediment data from the southeastern continental shelf of Korea reveals that the late Quaternary deposits consist of a set of lowstand (LST), transgressive (TST), and highstand systems tracts (HST) that corresponds to the sea-level change after the Last Glacial Maximum. LST (Unit I) above the sequence boundary consists of sandy mud or muddy sand deposited during the last glacial period and is confined to the shelf margin and trough region. TST (Unit II) between transgressive surface and maximum flooding surface consists of sandy sediments deposited during the postglacial transgression (15,000-6,000 yr BP). Although TST is widely distributed on the shelf, it is much thinner than LST and HST. On the basis of distribution pattern, TST can be divided into three sub-units: early TST (Unit IIa) on the shelf margin, middle TST (Unit IIb) on the mid-shelf, and late TST (Unit IIc) on the inner shelf, respectively. These are characterized by a backstepping depositional arrangement. HST(Unit III) above the maximum flooding surface is composed of the fine-grained sediments deposited during the last 6000 yrs when sea level was close to the present level and its distribution is restricted to the inner shelf along the coast.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2006

This study was performed to evaluate sleep efficiencies and conditions for comfortable sleep based on the analysis of EEGs and MST under four thermals conditions. Five female subjects who have similar life cycle and sleep patterns were participated for the sleep experiment. Their age was from 20 to 22 years old. They were healthy, and had regular sleep with consistent bed and wakeup time. It was checked whether they had a good sleep before the night of experiment. Experiments were performed in an environmental chamber of $4.1\times4.9\times2.7m$ size. EEGs were obtained from C3-A2 and C4-Al electrode sites. Sleep stages were classified, then TST, SWS latency and SWS/TST were calculated for the evaluation for sleep efficiencies on thermal conditions. As results, it was concluded that indoor thermal environments of $24\~26^{\circ}C$ was the best for comfortable and deep sleep.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.281-292
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• 2013

Objectives : A growing body of evidence has suggested that the dysfunction of glutamatergic systems plays a pivotal role in major depressive disorder (MDD). This study was performed to investigate the antidepressant-like effects of the ethanolic extract of Gastrodia elata Bl (GE) in mouse models and to investigate the role of ${\alpha}$-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors in producing these antidepressant-like effects. Methods : The forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) were used to investigate GE's behavioral effects in mice. Additional biochemical and behavioral experiments with NBQX, an AMPA receptor antagonist, were undertaken to determine whether the antidepressant-like properties of GE are involved in AMPA receptor throughput. Results : Oral administration of GE extract (1,600 mg/kg) 1h prior to testing significantly reduced the immobility times in the FST and TST. These antidepressant-like effects of GE extract were increased dose-dependently. Pre-treatment with NBQX significantly attenuated the reduction in immobility time induced by the GE extract in the FST and TST. Conclusions : The ethanolic extract of GE may exert antidepressant-like effects with involvement of AMPA receptor.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.68 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2010

Background: The tuberculin skin test (TST) has limitations in diagnosing a latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) was introduced to middle- and high-school students since 2009 by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The aim was to evaluate the utility of IGRA in diagnosing LTBI in middle- and high-school students. Methods: From August 2007 to July 2009, among suspected LTBI students showing TST induration with a 10 mm diameter and over with a normal chest x-ray in school students of Jeju city, 341 students underwent a Quanti FERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-IT) test to confirm LTBI. Results: From 348 students showing a positive TST, a QFT-IT test was carried out on 341 students. The positive QFT-IT rate was 52.8% (=180/341). The positive QFT-IT rate was higher in high-school boys with a 15~19 mm diameter of induration in TST. Conclusion: With the introduction of IGRA for diagnosing LTBI in middle- and high-school students, approximately 47% of students who show a TST induration with a 10 mm diameter and over can avoid taking unnecessary preventive chemotherapy. These results suggest that IGRA is useful for diagnosing and controlling LTBI in Korean students.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1521-1530
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• 2023

An α-L-rhamnosidase gene from Thermoclostridium. stercorarium subsp. thermolacticum DSM 2910 (TstRhaA) was cloned and expressed. The maximum TstRhaA activity of the protein reached 25.2 U/ml, and the molecular mass was approximately 106.6 kDa. The protein was purified 8.0-fold by Ni-TED affinity with an overall recovery of 16.6% and a specific activity of 187.9 U/mg. TstRhaA activity was the highest at 65℃ and pH 6.5. In addition, it exhibited excellent thermal stability, better pH stability, good tolerance to low concentrations of organic reagents, and high catalytic activity for p-nitrophenyl-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (pNPR). Substrate specificity studies showed that TstRhaA exhibited a high specific activity for rutin. At 60℃, pH 6.5, and 0.3 U/ml enzyme dosage, 60 g/l rutin was converted to 45.55 g/l isoquercitrin within 150 min. The molar conversion rate of rutin and the yield of isoquercitrin were 99.8% and 12.22 g/l/h, respectively. The results suggested that TstRhaA could be used for mass production of isoquercitrin.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.270-275
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• 2007

The QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay and tuberculin skin test (TST) have been useful test for diagnosing latent tuberculosis infections (LTBI). However, there are few reports on the efficacy of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay and TST in evaluating the response after the treatment of LTBI. This study examined the changes in the TST and QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay before and after a treatment for latent tuberculosis in health care workers (HCWs) at a local tertiary hospital. Methods: A cohort of volunteers working as nurses and doctors who underwent a TST and QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay was established. The volunteers positive for the QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay had been treated with 3 months of isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RFP). After completing treatment, the TST and QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay were repeated. Results: Of the 48 participants (14 doctors, 34 nurses, M: F=11:37, mean $age=29.9{\pm}5.5$ years, mean employment $period=74.9{\pm}64.3$ months), 19 (39.6%) tested positive to the TST (mean induration=$19.1{\pm}9.7mm$) and 8 (16.7%) were QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay. Among them, one had active pulmonary tuberculosis. Seven volunteers were consistently positive to both the TST and QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay after being medicated with INH and RFP for 3 months. Conclusion: TST and QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay are unsuitable for evaluating the treatment response of LTBI because they were consistently positive both before and after the anti-tuberculosis medication.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7415-7419
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• 2013

The diagnosis of latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is recommended in hematological malignancy patients and before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Guidelines for the prevention and management of infectious complications of solid organ transplantation, 2004). Compared to traditional methods such as tuberculin skin test (TST), T-SPOT.TB has been shown to be more specific. In the present study we enrolled 536 patients for whom T-SPOT.TB was performed, among which 295 patients also received the TST test. The agreement (79%) between T-SPOT.TB and TST was poor (x=0.274, P<0.001). The patients with positive T-SPOT.TB results numbered 62 (11.6%), in which only 20 (48.8%) of the 41 receiving the TST test had positive results. A majority of the patients with T-SPOT.TB positive results had some other evidence ofTB, such as TB history, clinical symptoms and an abnormal chest CT scan. Active TB was found in 9 patients, in which 2 had negative TST results. We followed up the patients and no one developed active TB. Our study suggested that the T-SPOT.TB may be more useful for screening LTBI and active TB in hematological malignancy patients and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients than the TST test.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.75 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2013

Background: We investigated the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among the health care workers (HCWs) and analyzed its risk factors in South Korea. Methods: A standard questionnaire regarding the baseline demographics and risk factors for LTBI was given to each participant and tuberculin skin test (TST), QuantiFERON-TB GOLD In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assay, and chest radiography were performed. Results: A total of 493 participants, 152 (30.8%) doctors and 341 (69.2%) nurses were enrolled in eight tertiary referral hospitals. The mean age of the subjects was 30.6 years old, and 383 (77.7%) were female. Of the 152 doctors, 63 (41.4%) and 36 (23.7%) were positive by TST and by QTF-GIT, respectively, and among the 341 nurses, 119 (34.9%) and 49 (14.4%) had positive TST and QFT-GIT results, respectively. Overall, the agreement between the two tests was 0.22 by the chance corrected proportional agreement rate (kappa coefficient) in 493 subjects. Experience of working in tuberculosis (TB)-related departments was significantly associated with positive LTBI test results by QFT-GIT assay, not by TST. In multivariate analysis, only age was independently associated with increased risk of a positive TST result, while age and experience of working in TB-related departments (odds ratio, 2.29; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-5.12) were independently associated with increased risk of a positive QFT-GIT result. Conclusion: A high prevalence of LTBI was found among South Korean HCWs. Considering the association between the experience of working in TB-related departments and high risk of LTBI, QFT-GIT may be a better diagnostic test for LTBI than TST in HCWs.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.137-147
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• 2010

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness and limitation of QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QTB) for diagnosis of latent tuberculosis in children. Methods : The medical records of 112 children who were tested by tuberculin skin test (TST) and QTB for detection of latent tuberculosis (TB) in Eulji General Hospital during the period from January 2007 to June 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. Results : Of the 112 participants, the clinical TB group included 15 (13.4%), the contact group included 43 (38.4%), and the non-contact group included 54 (48.2%). Positive rates of TST and QTB were 100% and 80% in the clinical TB group, 64% and 14% in the close contact group, 27% and 0% in the casual contact group, and 52% and 2% in the non-contact group, respectively. Sensitivity of QTB was 80.0% and specificity was 92.6%. Agreement between QTB and TST was poor ($\kappa$=0.209). We also confirmed that the positive rate of QTB increased as the age of the patient increased (P=0.011). A QTB indeterminate result was observed in 11 (9.8%) subjects. QTB was retested in 15 subjects. In 5 of the 6 subjects who had positive results initially, positive results persisted for a median 2.2 months after termination of treatment. Conclusion : Although QTB was associated with several problems, including low sensitivity and a high rate of indeterminate results, it had clinical importance due to its high specificity. We found good correlation with regard to exposure and QTB positivity, including that of young children under 5 years of age. However, clinical application of interferon-$\gamma$ releasing assay for young children for diagnosis of active and latent tuberculosis will require additional prospective studies.