• BMB Reports
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.562-567
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• 2002

In order to find the cellular interaction factors of the Heliothis armigera nuclear polyhedrosis virus capsid protein VP39, a Heliothis armigera cell cDNA library was constructed. Then VP39 was used as bait. The host actin gene was isolated from the cDNA library with the yeast two-hybrid system. This demonstrated that VP39 could interact with its host actin in yeast. In order to corroborate this interaction in vivo, the vp39 gene was fused with the green fluorescent protein gene in plasmid pEGFP39. The fusion protein was expressed in the Hz-AM1 cells under the control of the Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus immediate early gene promoter. The host actin was labeled specifically by the red fluorescence substance, tetramethy rhodamine isothicyanete-phalloidin. Observation under a fluorescence microscopy showed that VP39, which was indicated by green fluorescence, began to appear in the cells 6 h after being transfected with pEGFP39. Red actin cables were also formed in the cytoplasm at the same time. Actin was aggregated in the nucleus 9 h after the transfection. The green and red fluorescence always appeared in the same location of the cells, which demonstrated that VP39 could combine with the host actin. Such a combination would result in the actin skeleton rearrangement.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.82-88
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of study was to evaluate radiation dose for pediatric patients by changing tube voltage (kVp) and tube current (mA) at minimum conditions. By evaluating radiation dose, we want to provide dose reduction for pediatric patients and maintain good quality of SPECT/CT images. Materials and Methods: Discovery NM/CT 670 Scanne was used as SPECT/CT. Tube voltages are 80 and 100 kvP. Tube currents are 10, 15, 20, 25 mA. Using PMMA (Polymethyl methacrylate) Phantom, radiation dose which were calculated at center and peripheral dose and SNRD (Signal to Noise Ratio Dose) were evaluated. Using the CT performance phantom, spatial resolution was evaluated as the MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) graph. Jaszczak phantom was used for SPECT image evaluation by CNR (Contrast to Noise to Ratio). Results: Radiation dose using the PMMA phantom was higher peripheral dose than center dose about 7%. SNRD were 7.8, 8.2, 8.3, 8.8, 8.8, 9.9, 9.8, 9.6 for 80 kVp 10, 15, 20, 25 mA, 100 kVp 10, 15, 20, 25 mA. We can distinguish 35, 45, 70, 71, 52, 58, 90, 110 linepair for 80 kVp 10, 15, 20, 25 mA, 100 kVp 10, 15, 20, 25 mA at resolution with MTF. CNR of SPECT images using CT attenuation map were 57.8, 57.7, 57.1, 56.7, 56.6, 56.7, 56.7, 56.7% for 80 kVp 10, 15, 20, 25 mA, 100 kVp 10, 15, 20, 25 mA. Conclusion: In this study, radiation dose for pediatric patients showed decreased low dose condition. And SNRD value was similar in all condition. Resolution showed higher value at 100kVp than 80kVp. for CNR, there was no significant difference. we should take additional study to prove better quality and dose reduction.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2020

The influence of metal artifact in CT image depends on the type of metal materialsm, the reconstruction algorithm, and scan parameters. The presence of metal artifacts was quantitatively evaluated by applying the standard and MAR algorithms through the phantom study. In the change of tube voltage applied the standard algorithm, metal artifact decreased to 44.9% for 80 vs 120 kVp, 24% for 100 vs 120 kVp, while the image taken at 140 kVp increased the artifact by 19% compared to 120 kVp. When the tube current was increased from 100 to 300 mA, there was no significant difference in the CT value and noise. Black band and white strike artifacts occurred up to 65.9% in the adjacent ROI of the metal driver, whereas titanium screw produced lesser metal artifact than that of the metal driver. The combination of 120kVp or higher tube voltage-standard algorithm was effective in removing black band artifacts as well as white streak by high density materials. However, MAR reconstruction algorithm was useful in improving image quality under the environment of low kVp and high density materials, without increase of radiation exposure.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.141-148
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• 2012

Purpose : Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt insertion is an important treatment modality in children with hydrocephalus. VP shunt infection is a major complication and an important factor that determines the surgery outcome. This 15-year study was performed to evaluate the epidemiology of VP shunt infections in pediatric patients treated at our center. Methods : A retrospective review of medical records was performed in patients 18 years old or younger who underwent VP shunt insertion surgery from April 1995 to June 2010. Results : Three hundred twenty-seven VP shunt surgeries were performed in a total of 190 pediatric patients (83 females, 107 males). The median age of the patients was 2.4 years (range, 0.02-17.9 years). Having a malignant brain tumor was the most frequent cause for VP shunt insertion. The shunt infection rate was 6.7% (22/327) per 100 operations and 9.5% (18/190) per 100 patients, and the incidence rate was 0.45 infection cases per 100 shunt operations-year. The most common pathogen was coagulase-negative staphylococcus (n=7) followed by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (n=1). Ten cases were treated with vancomycin and beta-lactam antibiotic (cephalosporin or carbapenem) combination therapy and 7 cases were treated with vancomycin monotherapy. The median duration of antibiotic treatment was 26 days (range, 7 to 58 days). Surgical intervention was performed in 18 cases (18/22, 81.8%). Conclusion : Epidemiologic information regarding VP shunt infections in pediatric patients is valuable that will help guide proper antibiotic management. Additional studies on the risk factors for developing VP shunt infections are also warranted.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.211-221
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• 2002

The prosody can play a crucial role in differentiating ambiguous sentences to correctly reflect their intended syntactic structures. In what way do the speakers in Tokyo and Sendai dialects of Japanese use prosodic elements to differentiate syntactic ambiguities? Acoustic measurement was made of utterances of ambiguous sentences in Japanese to observe prosodic strategies for disambiguation. Materials were sentences of the type ADV-VP1-NP-VP2, ADV-NP1-NP2-VP2, where the ambiguity lies in locative adverbial modification, ADV modifying either VP1 or VP2. For this construction the Japanese create the same ambiguities. After defining the depth of a syntactic boundary, F0 of the phrase before and after the boundary, and duration of the syllable and pause before the boundary were measured. The results show that Tokyo dialects speakers use F0 after syntactic boundary, and Sendai dialects speakers use of the syllable and/or pause before the boundary.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.987-994
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• 2019

Low energy x-rays that occur in the low tube voltage radiography of general radiography are absorbed strongly in the body and do not aid image quality enhancement. This study maintains titer in general radiography while using tube current that are proportional to density and the tube voltage 15% principle according to density to reduce patient exposure doses, and area doses and entrance surface doses were measured to compare patient exposure doses. In hand, knee, abdomen, and skull radiography, kVp was increased to 115% and mAs was decreased to 50% and kVp was decreased to 85% while mAs was increased to 200% and area doses and entrance surface doses were measured to compare relative doses. Also, 5 places in each image were set, density was measured, and Kruskal wallis H test was conducted to observe significance probabilities between groups. To fix density, kVp was increased to 115% and mAs was decreased to 50% and after measurements of mean area doses and entrance surface doses were made by each part, each decreased to 58.68% and 59.85% when standard doses were set to 100%, and each increased to 147.28% and 159.9% when kVp was decreased to 85% and mAs was increased to 200%. Comparisons of density changes showed that hand, knee, abdomen, and skull radiography all displayed significance probabilities>0.05, showing no changes in concentration. Radiography that increases kVp and lowers mAs through reasonable calculations within ranges that don't affect resolution and contrast seems to be a simple way to decrease patient exposure doses.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.1157-1163
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• 2014

This study was conducted to observe the effects of gas composition in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the shelf-life of Longissimus dorsi of Korean Native Black Pigs-Duroc Crossbred ($KNP{\times}D$) during refrigerated storage. Muscle sample was obtained from the left side of carcass of seven months old of $KNP{\times}D$ barrow. The sample was sliced into 1 cm in thickness, placed on trays (two slices/tray) and filled with different gas composition, i.e. 0:20:80/$O_2:CO_2:N_2$ (MAP1), 30:20:50/$O_2:CO_2:N_2$ (MAP2) and 70:20:10/$O_2:CO_2:N_2$ (MAP3). Other slices of sample were vacuum packed (VP) as a control. All packs were stored at $5{\pm}1^{\circ}C$. At 12 d of storage, pH value of MAP2 and MAP3 were higher (p<0.05) than that of MAP1 and pH value of MAP1 was higher (p<0.05) than that of VP. At 6 d of storage, redness ($a^*$) value of MAP2 and MAP3 were higher (p<0.05) than that of VP and MAP1 and, at 9 and 12 d of storage, redness value of MAP3 was higher (p<0.05) than that of VP, MAP1, and MAP2. At 3, 6, 9, and 12 d of storage, the 2- thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value of MAP3 was higher than that of MAP2 and TBARS value of MAP2 was higher than that of VP and MAP1. At 3, 6, 9, and 12 d of storage, volatile basic nitrogen values of MAP2 and MAP3 were higher (p<0.05) than those of VP and MAP1. At 3 d of storage, total aerobic plate counts of MAP2 and MAP3 were higher (p<0.05) than those of VP and MAP1 and, at 6 d of storage, total aerobic plate counts of MAP3 was higher (p<0.05) than that of MAP1 and MAP2. However, there was no significant different total aerobic plate count among MAP1, MAP2, and MAP3 at 9 and 12 d of storage. There was no significant different total anaerobic plate count among MAP1, MAP2, and MAP3 during storage. It is concluded that the MAP containing 30:20:50/$O_2:CO_2:N_2$ gas composition (MAP2) might be ideal for better meat quality for $KNP{\times}D$ meat.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.265-273
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• 2009

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a small single-stranded RNA virus which belongs to the family Picornaviridae, genus Apthovirus. It is a principal cause of FMD which is highly contagious in livestock. In a wild type virus infection, infected animals usually elicit antibodies against structural and non-structural protein of FMDV. A structural protein, VP1, is involved in neutralization of virus particle, and has both B and T cell epitopes. A RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, 3D, is highly conserved among other serotypes and strongly immunogenic, therefore, we selected VP1 and 3D as vaccine targets. VP1 and 3D genes were codon-optimized to enhance protein expression level and cloned into mammalian expression vector. To produce recombinant protein, VP1 and 3D genes were also cloned into pET vector. The VP1 and 3D DNA or proteins were co-immunized into 5 weeks old BALB/C mice. Antigen-specific serum antibody (Ab) responses were detected by Ab ELISA. Cellular immune response against VP1 and 3D was confirmed by ELISpot assay. The results showed that all DNA- and protein-immunized groups induced cellular immune responses, suggesting that both DNA and recombinant protein vaccine administration efficiently induced Ag-specific humoral and cellular immune responses.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.8
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• pp.1398-1403
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• 2016

The simultaneous detection and accurate identification of hepatitis A virus (HAV) is critical in food safety and epidemiological studies to prevent the spread of HAV outbreaks. Towards this goal, a one-step duplex reverse-transcription (RT)-PCR method was developed targeting the VP1/P2B and VP3/VP1 regions of the HAV genome for the qualitative detection of HAV. An HAV RT-qPCR standard curve was produced for the quantification of HAV RNA. The detection limit of the duplex RT-PCR method was 2.8 × 10¹ copies of HAV. The PCR products enabled HAV genotyping analysis through DNA sequencing, which can be applied for epidemiological investigations. The ability of this duplex RT-PCR method to detect HAV was evaluated with HAV-spiked samples of fresh lettuce, frozen strawberries, and oysters. The limit of detection of the one-step duplex RT-PCR for each food model was 9.4 × 10² copies/20 g fresh lettuce, 9.7 × 10³ copies/20 g frozen strawberries, and 4.1 × 10³ copies/1.5 g oysters. Use of a one-step duplex RT-PCR method has advantages such as shorter time, decreased cost, and decreased labor owing to the single amplification reaction instead of four amplifications necessary for nested RT-PCR.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.183-188
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• 2011

We studied the optimal location where the radiation dose of radiological technologists is minimally measured. The measured scatter dose has been compared with the distance inverse square law. We measured the primary X-ray with different tube conditions (60, 70, 81 and 90 kVp) and distances (60, 120 and 180 cm). The scatter ray has been measured with various locations (42.5, 52.4 and 62.4 cm for front and back side, 0 to 60 cm with 10 cm interval for left and right side). The results of this study showed that the dose of primary X-ray was attenuated to 20.52 (27.20%), 28.58 (25.20%), 38.82 (26.32%) and 48.20 mR (26.27%) for each tube voltages at 120 cm. In addition, The dose were 7.06 (8.91%), 9.90 (8.73%), 13.64 (9.25%) and 16.60 mR (9.05%) at 180 cm. As for the scatter in front and back side, the attenuated dose were 0.15 mR (23.09%) and 0.15 mR (22.08%) at 120 cm, and 0.07 mR (10.43%) and 0.06 mR (8.83%) at 180 cm. Scatter was decreased in third quadrant. Therefore, it is recommended that radiological technologists should keep long distance from the object.