• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.343-352
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• 1999

Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) have emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen. Since 1989 the Center for Disease Control, United States, has reported a rapid increase in the incidence of enterococcal bacteremia and endocarditis infection by VRE. It was suggested that the use of avoparcin was associated with the appearance of VRE in animal husbandry. To date, several detection methods have been used based on conventional methods of culture and gene detection. However, these methods have some limitations such as time-consuming, laborious and additional differential needs. Therefore, In this study a multiplex PCR method was established to detect and differentiate resistance types of enterococci which specifically amplify the four van genes encoding vancomycin resistance elements. Using the method, we investigated the incidence rates and types of VRE from farms using or not using avoparcin. A total of 1091 animal fecal samples were collected from 70 pig and 32 poultry farms. A total of 425 of enterococci were isolated from samples. Of the 425 isolates, 11 of the them showed a pattern of high-level vancomycin resistance (MIC : $64{\sim}256{\mu}g/ml$) which was associated with the presence of the vanA or vanB gene. Fifty-seven isolates showed a pattern of low-level vancomycin resistance (MIC : $3{\sim}8{\mu}g/ml$) associated with the vanC-1 or vanC-2 gene. Interestingly, all isolates with high-level vancomycin resistance were from farms that have never used avoparcin. Moreover, the high-level VRE isolation rate in Korea (2.58%) was much lower than that of other countries (50% in England, 7% in Belgium) where avoparcin have been used. In conclusion, the multiplex PCR method established in this study could be applied for detection of VRE.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.31-40
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• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe nurses' recognition of, and practice level in management of general nosocomial infections, and methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) infections. Method: A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were collected on June, 2003 from 190 nurses in one university affiliated hospital located in Suwon. Result: The mean score for nurses' recognition of general nosocomial infection control was 3.57, MRSA control was 3.54, and VRE control was 3.86. The mean score on practice for control of general nosocomial infection was 3.19, for MRSA control, 3.20, and for VRE control, 3.63. There were statistically significant relationships between the recognition level and practice level for general nosocomial, MRSA, and VRE infection control. According to the general characteristics of the nurses, the mean scores for both recognition and practice were higher for those nurses who had had infection control education, for those who had worked longer in nursing, and for those who worked in the ICU. Conclusion: It is suggested that appropriate hospital infection control programs should be developed through continuous education and practice to improve nurses' level of the practice in general infection control, and especially in MRSA and VRE infection control.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.55-60
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• 1977

In this study the effect of water extract of Viticis rotundifoliae Fructus(VRE) on the blood pressure of the rabbit was investigated. The results of the experiment are as follows. 1. VRE produced a fall of blood pressure, exhibiting dose-action curve in the rabbit. 2. The depressor effect of VRE was inhibited by atropine and chlorisondamine, potentiated by physostigmine, and then potentiated slightly by bethanidine. 3. Effect of VRE was not influenced by propranolol and cyproheptadin. The above results indicate that hypotension of VRE is produced by stimulation of parasympathetic nervous system induced centrally.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.116-120
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• 2001

The prevalence resistance genotype and antibiotic susceptibility of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) were determined. Prevalence of VRE in chickens, healthy children and intensive care unit (ICU) patients was 43.0%, 12.7% and 24.1%, respectively. Forty out of 56 isolates from chicken intestines were identified as Enterococcus faecium, and 12 were E. faecalis. All the isolates contained the vanA gene. Nine out of 13 VRE isolates from patients and two out of 21 from healthy young children were identified as E. faecium. The resistance types of E. faecium, E. gallinarium and E. casseliflavus were VanA, VanCl, and VanC2, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of E. faecium, E. gallinarium, and E. casseliflavus to vancomycin were 512,8 and 4 g/ml, respectively. Specifically, E. faecium isolates were resistant to most of antibiotics except ampicillin and gentamicin. This is the first report of high VanA type VRE prevalence in nonhospitalized young children in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2013

Outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are being reported more frequently in many countries. While seven glycopeptide resistance genotypes have been described in Enterococci, vanA and vanB are the most common resistance genotypes. The aim of this study was to detect antibiotic susceptibilities of 23 Enterococcus faecium strains, which caused an outbreak in a University hospital by a disk diffusion test to investigate the presence of the species specific gene, and the resistant genotypes, vanA and vanB by duplex PCR. PCR for vanA and vanB was performed on 23 enterococci. Twenty three were identified as E. faecium and were tested positive for the vanA genotype. This study will report on the validation of a simple and accurate VRE detection method that can be easily incorporated into the daily routine of a clinical laboratory. Early detection of VRE strains, including those with susceptibility to vancomycin, is of paramount clinical importance as it allows rapid initiation of strict infection control practices, as well as the therapeutic guidance for confirmed infections. The PCR method developed in the present study is simple and reliable for the rapid characterization of VRE.

• Journal of Advanced Information Technology and Convergence
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.91-101
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• 2020

Recently, the demand for high penetration of variable renewable energy (VRE) penetration in a power system is increased. In consequence, distribution systems including microgrids confront the increased installation of VRE-based distributed generation. Despite of the high demand of VRE-based distributed generation in a distribution system, the installation of photovoltaic (PV) system in a distribution system has been restricted by various problems. In other words, the hosting capacity for high VRE penetration in a distribution system is limited. This paper analyzes the improvements of hosting capacity VRE penetration of stand-alone microgrid (SAMG) with energy storage system (ESS) by considering virtual-slack (VS) control based on power sensitivity. With the pre-defined power sensitivity, the ESS operates as virtual slack in the SAMG by controlling its bus voltage and phase angle indirectly. Therefore, the ESS enables the increase of VRE penetration in the SAMG. The proposed VS control is realized by analyzing the ESS as a virtual slack in power flow analysis based on power sensitivity. Then its validity is demonstrated with the case study on the SAMG in South Korea with practical data.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.113-133
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• 2024

Variable renewable energy (VRE) such as solar and wind power is the main sources of achieving carbon net zero, but it undermines the stability of power supply due to high variability and uncertainty. Energy storage system (ESS) can not only reduce the curtailment of VRE by load shifting but also contribute to stable power system operation by providing ancillary services. This study analyzes how the allocation of ESS resources between load shifting and ancillary service can contribute to maximizing the efficiency of power supply in a situation where the problems caused by VRE are becoming more and more serious. A stochastic power system optimization model that can realistically simulate the variability and uncertainty of VRE was applied. The analysis time point was set to 2023 and 2036, and the optimal resource allocation strategy and benefits of ESS by varying VRE penetration levels were analyzed. The analysis results can be largely summarized into the following three. First, ESS provides excellent functions for both load shifting and ancillary service, and it was confirmed that the higher the reserve price, the more limited the load shifting and focused on providing reserve. Second, the curtailment of VRE can be a effective substitute for the required reserve, and the higher the reserve price level, the higher the curtailment of VRE and the lower the required amount of reserve. Third, if a reasonable reserve offer price reflecting the opportunity cost is applied, ESS can secure economic feasibility in the near future, and the higher the proportion of VRE, the greater the economic feasibility of ESS. This study suggests that cost-effective low-carbon transition in the power system is possible when the price signal is correctly designed so that power supply resources can be efficiently utilized.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.163-169
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• 2016

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of vibration resistance exercise (VRE) in patients with tennis elbow on strength, range of motion (ROM), function, pain and quality of life (QOL). Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Twenty-seven participants were randomly assigned to either the VRE group (n=9), weight resistance exercise (WRE) group (n=9) or control group (n=9). Each group underwent hot compress for 15 minutes and electrotherapy for 15 minutes. The VRE group underwent exercises using a vibrating ball for 5 minutes. The WRE group underwent exercises using dumbbells for 5 minutes. All participants were evaluated on wrist extension strength using a hand-held dynamometer, grip strength level through an electric dynamometer, and ROM through a smartphone goniometer application before and after intervention. Patient-rated tennis elbow evaluation, Visual Analogue Scale and Short Form 8 were measured by questionnaires. Results: There were showed significant differences among the VRE, WRE and control group in wrist extensor muscle and hand grip strength, ROM, elbow function, pain and QOL after intervention (p<0.05). The VRE group showed a greater significant improvement in wrist extensor muscle strength and elbow function compared with the others (p<0.05). The VRE and the WRE groups had a more significant improvement in wrist extensor muscle and hand grip strength, ROM and pain compared with the control group (p<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in QOL among the three groups. Conclusions: Combining VRE with thermotherapy and electrotherapy appears to be more effective in improving wrist extension strength, ROM, elbow function, QOL in tennis elbow patients.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.908-913
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• 2010

Bojungiki-tang is a traditional oriental medicine to boost the immune system. In this study, we investigated the effects of Bojungiki-tang by withdrawal of isolation of VRE colonization. Four cases of post-stroke patients with VRE colonization took Bojungiki-tang and continuously were followed up with stool cultures. After three times negative stool VRE, we withdrew isolation of VRE colonization. One case patient was diagnosed with VRE colonization in another hospital and had no withdrawal during that period. He was admitted to Kyung-hee University Oriental Medicine where he took Bojungiki-tang. After three times negative stool VRE, we withdrew isolation of the patient. These results demonstrate that Bojungiki-tang is effective on boosting immunity level. Further studies are needed to better characterize this protective effect of Bojungiki-tang.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.174-180
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• 2012

Objectives: An ambulance can be a potential source of contagious or droplet infection of a community. We estimated the prevalence of positive carriage of tuberculosis (TB), methicillin-resistant $Staphylococcus$ $aureus$ (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant $Enterococci$ (VRE) in patients transported by ambulance. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study. We enrolled all patients who visited a tertiary teaching hospital emergency department (ED). Blood, sputum, urine, body fluid, and rectal swab samples were taken from patients when they were suspected of TB, MRSA, or VRE in the ED. The patients were categorized into three groups: pre-hospital ambulance (PA) group; inter-facility ambulance (IA) group; and non-ambulance (NA) group. Adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a multivariable logistic regression model for the prevalence of each infection. Results: The total number of patients was 89206. Of these, 9378 (10.5%) and 4799 (5.4%) were in the PA and IA group, respectively. The prevalence of TB, MRSA, and VRE infection were 0.3%, 1.1%, and 0.3%, respectively. In the PA group, the prevalence of TB, MRSA, and VRE were 0.3%, 1.8%, and 0.4%. In the IA group, the prevalence of TB, MRSA, and VRE were 0.7%, 4.6%, and 1.5%, respectively. The adjusted ORs (95% CI) of the PA and IA compared to the NA group were 1.02 (0.69 to 1.53) and 1.83 (1.24 to 2.71) for TB, 2.24 (1.87 to 2.69) and 5.47 (4.63 to 6.46) for MRSA, 2.59 (1.78 to 3.77) and 8.90 (6.52 to 12.14) for VRE, respectively. Conclusions: A high prevalence of positive carriage of TB, MRSA, and VRE in patients transported by metropolitan ambulances was found.