• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.939-948
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• 2018

Objectives: We treated a stroke patient with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) colonization using Gami-sipjeondaebo-tang. Methods: A patient diagnosed with intracranial hemorrhage with VRE colonization was treated with herbal medicine and acupuncture. We checked general conditions every day and performed stool VRE culture once a week. We evaluated the improvement of symptoms by change in VAS grade, general weakness, and stool VRE culture results. Results: After a treatment of Gami-sipjeondaebo-tang combined with acupuncture therapy, improvement of the general condition was observed. Also, VRE colonization was no longer detected in the stool culture. Conclusions: This case report proved the effect of Korean medicine for a stroke patient with VRE colonization, but further study is needed.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.140-146
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• 2015

The increase in resistance by pathogenic bacteria to multiple antimicrobial agents has become a significant treat, as the effective antimicrobial agents available for the patients infected by such resistant bacteria are reduced, or even eliminated. Several natural plant extracts have exhibited antibacterial and synergistic activity against various resistant microorganisms. Houttuynia cordata is frequently used by many traditional medicine practicioners for its antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. This study investigated the antibacterial effects of H. cordata extract against clinical multi-resistant bacteria, and compared the two methods used for the antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Thirty isolates of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, 10), Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE, 10), Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB, 10) were included in this study. The antibacterial effect of H. cordata was tested by disk diffusion and microbroth dilution methods as per CLSI guidelines. In disk diffusion, all isolates (30) showed no inhibition to 30,000 ug/mL of H. cordata. But in the microbroth dilution method, $MIC_{90}$ of H. cordata was 4,096 ug/mL, 8,192 ug/mL and 4,096 ug/mL in MRSA, VRE and CRAB, respectively. These results demonstrate that H. cordata exhibits antibacterial activity against MRSA, VRE and CRAB. Moreover, the microbroth dilution method is a more effective method than disk diffusion to evaluate the antibacterial activity of natural products. The Disk diffusion method used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of natural products required new standard guidelines including inoculum concentration of bacteria.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.487-487
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• 2005

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.403-408
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• 2019

Dorsoventral patterning of body axis in vertebrate embryo is tightly controlled by a complex regulatory network of transcription factors. Ventx1.1 is known as a transcriptional repressor to inhibit dorsal mesoderm formation and neural differentiation in Xenopus. In an attempt to identify, using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-Seq, genome-wide binding pattern of Ventx1.1 in Xenopus gastrulae, we observed that Ventx1.1 associates with its own 5'-flanking sequence. In this study, we present evidence that Ventx1.1 binds a cis-acting Ventx1.1 response element (VRE) in its own promoter, leading to repression of its own transcription. Site-directed mutagenesis of the VRE in the Ventx1.1 promoter significantly abrogated this inhibitory autoregulation of Ventx1.1 transcription. Notably, Ventx1.1 and Xcad2, an activator of Ventx1.1 transcription, competitively co-occupied the VRE in the Ventx1.1 promoter. In support of this, mutation of the VRE down-regulated basal and Xcad2-induced levels of Ventx1.1 promoter activity. In addition, overexpression of Ventx1.1 prevented Xcad2 from binding to the Ventx1.1 promoter, and vice versa. Taken together, these results suggest that Ventx1.1 negatively regulates its own transcription in competition with Xcad2, thereby fine-tuning its own expression levels during dorsoventral patterning of Xenopus early embryo.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.505-513
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• 2022

In this study, 143 strains of Enterococcus spp. were isolated from inland pollution sources near shellfish farms on the west coast of South Korea. Not all isolated Enterococcus spp. strains possessed vancomycin resistance genes (VanA and VanB). However, since vancomycin-resistance Enterococcus (VRE) have been detected not only in the clinical field but also out in the world, it is possible that the VRE gene may be transferred to other bacterial strains commonly found in coastal waters where seafood is produced. It is important to monitor trends in the appearance of VRE. In addition, antimicrobial resistance patterns of isolates were examined in this study. Overall antimicrobial resistance rates were high: ciprofloxacin (32.2% of isolates resistant), chloramphenicol (30.8%), quinupristin/dalfopristin (19.6%), and tylosin (15.4%). Eight E. faecium strains (6.2%), out of the 129 strains assessed, showed multidrug resistance. All multidrug-resistant E. faecium showed resistance to erythromycin, quinupristin/dalfopristin, tetracycline, and tylosin, in all 14 strains. All multidrug-resistant E. faecalis showed resistance to erythromycin, quinupristin/dalfopristin, tetracycline, and tylosin. Both multidrug-resistant E. faecium and multidrug-resistant E. faecalis showed common resistance to erythromycin, quinupristin/dalfopristin, tetracycline, and tylosin.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.247-256
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• 2023

Objectives: Enterococcus faecalis is a gram positive diplococci, highly versatile and a normal commensal of the gut microbiome. Resistance to vancomycin is a serious issue in various health-care setting exhibited by vancomycin resistant Enterococci (VRE) due to the alteration in the peptidoglycan synthesis pathway. This study is thus aimed to detect the VRE from the patients with root caries from the clinical isolates of E. faecalis and to evaluate the in-silico interactions between vanA and the Aegles marmelos bio-compounds. Methods: E. faecalis was phenotypically characterized from 20 root caries samples and the frequency of vanA and vanB genes was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Further crude methanolic extracts from the dried leaves of A. marmelos was assessed for its antimicrobial activity. This is followed by the selection of five A. marmelos bio-compounds for the computational approach towards the drug ligand interactions. Results: 12 strains (60%) of E. faecalis was identified from the root caries samples and vanA was detected from two strains (16%). Both the stains showed the presence of vanA and none of the strains possessed vanB. Crude extract of A. marmelos showed promising antibacterial activity against the VRE strains. In-silico analysis of the A. marmelos biocompounds revealed Imperatonin as the best compound with high docking energy (-8.11) and hydrogen bonds with < 140 TPSA (Topological polar surface area) and zero violations. Conclusion: The present study records the VRE strains among the root caries with imperatorin from A. marmelos as a promising drug candidate. However the study requires further experimentation and validation.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.167-175
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• 2024

Hospital-acquired bacterial infections, including vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infection (MIC: 32 mcg/ml), are common. We describe the case of a 63-year-old female patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage and VRE infection treated with Jashin-bowon-tang and Samhuang-sashim-tang for 57 days and 22 days, respectively. The therapeutic effect was assessed weekly via culture, color and viscosity of pus from a coccyx sore, and C-reactive protein (CRP). Vital signs were checked four times a day. Seventeen days after treatment, VRE was not colonized in patient and color and viscosity of pus, CRP and vital sign were improved. This case report suggests that Jashin-bowon-tang and Samhuang-sashim-tang might be an alternative option for VRE infection patients reducing the need for extended isolation periods and speeding up recovery times.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.213-216
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• 2008

Continentalic acid (CA, (-)-pimara-8(14), 15-diene-19-oic acid) was isolated from the roots of Aralia cordata (Araliaceae) using bioassay-guided fractionation of a crude chloroform extract. The antibacterial activity of CA against Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus gallinarium was estimated by determining minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs). CA exhibited potent activity against standard vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and vancomycin-susceptible enterococci (VSE), with MICs and MBCs values between 4 and $8{\mu}g/mL$ and 4 and $16{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. This compound exhibited potent activity against strains of VRE, which are highly resistant to clinically useful antibiotics. These findings suggest that continentalic acid may be useful in controlling enterococcal infection.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.427-430
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• 2014

We developed a novel immunochromatographic assay (ICA) (EZ-Step VanA rapid kit; Dinona, Korea) for the detection of VanA ligase from vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Of eight monoclonal antibodies screened by ELISAs, the VanA ligase ICA constructed with 1H9 plus 3G11 showed the greatest reactivity. The detection limit of the kit was $6.3{\times}10^6$ CFU per test. Of 127 vancomycin-resistant microorganisms, 100 vanA VRE were positive in the VanA ligase ICA, and 27 non-vanA vancomycin-resistant isolates were negative. These results were consistent with those of the PCR analyses. Thus, our ICA is a reliable and easy-to-use immunological assay for detecting VanA-producing VRE in clinical laboratories.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.778-785
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate in vitro antibacterial activities of pozzolan against super bacteria and intestinal bacteria. There were four treatment groups: 1) CON, pozzolan free control group; 2) DP0.3, microbial culture medium prepared by mixing distilled water and 0.3% of pozzolan powder; 3) DP0.5, microbial culture medium prepared by mixing distilled water and 0.5% of pozzolan powder; and 4) PE, microbial culture medium prepared with pozzolan powder extracts without adding distilled water. The count of Lacctobacillus casei was significantly higher in the DP0.3 group compared to CON (P<0.05). However, it showed no significant difference compared to other treatment groups. Numbers of Clostridium butyricum, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhimurium were significantly lower in pozzolanic treatment groups compared to CON (P<0.05). Clostridium butyricum and Salmonella typhimurium counts were significantly different among DP0.3, DP0.5, and PE groups (P<0.05). Counts of E. coli were also significantly between DP0.5 and PE groups (P<0.05). Counts of MRSA and VRE were significantly lower in pozzolanic treatment groups compared to CON (P<0.05). MRSA counts were significantly different among DP0.5, DP0.3 and PE groups. VRE counts were significantly higher in the order of PE > DP0.3> DP0.5> CON (P<0.05). These results suggest that pozzolan could be used as a dietary silicate supplement and a natural antibacterial agent for livestock if its antimicrobial activity against super bacteria and harmful bacteria in the intestine is confirmed.