• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.22-24
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• 2022

Elapid snakes have neurotoxic venom which causes diverse neuroparalytic manifestations, including fatal respiratory failure. In South Korea, since elapid snakebites are very rare, the cobra antivenom, which is effective against neurotoxicity, was only introduced recently. Most physicians in South Korea have little experience in the treatment of patients who have been bitten by elapid snakes. A 19-year-old man was brought to the emergency department with sudden diplopia, 1 hour after a snakebite on the left 2nd finger. The patient presented with drowsiness and complained of mild dizziness and binocular diplopia. After 1 hour, he had sudden onset of dyspnea and dysphagia and appeared to be agitated. He was immediately intubated and received mechanical ventilation as he was unable to breathe on his own. A total of 2.5 mg of neostigmine diluted with normal saline was slowly infused, and 1 vial of cobra antivenom was infused for an hour, 5 times every 2 hours, for a total of 5 vials. He slowly recovered self-breathing; on the 3rd day of hospitalization, he showed tolerable breathing and was extubated. He was discharged without any neurological deficits or other complications.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.2873-2878
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to perform radiation monitoring by acquiring gamma images and real-time optical images for ^99mTc vial source using charge couple device (CCD) cameras equipped with the proposed compact gamma camera. The compact gamma camera measures 86×65×78.5 mm³ and weighs 934 g. It is equipped with a metal 3D printed diverging collimator manufactured in a 45 field of view (FOV) to detect the location of the source. The circuit's system uses system-on-chip (SoC) and field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA) to establish a good connection between hardware and software. In detection modules, the photodetector (multi-pixel photon counters) is tiled at 8×8 to expand the activation area and improve sensitivity. The gadolinium aluminium gallium garnet (GAGG) measuring 0.5×0.5×3.5 mm³ was arranged in 38×38 arrays. Intrinsic and extrinsic performance tests such as energy spectrum, uniformity, and system sensitivity for other radioisotopes, and sensitivity evaluation at edges within FOV were conducted. The compact gamma camera can be mounted on unmanned equipment such as drones and robots that require miniaturization and light weight, so a wide range of applications in various fields are possible.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.1871-1877
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• 2023

The main goal of the coordinated project development of therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals of Y-90 and Re-188 is to exploit advancements in radionuclide production technology. Here, direct and indirect production methods with medium reactor and cyclotron are compared to evaluate derived neutron flux and production yield. First, nano-sized ¹⁸⁶W and ⁸⁹Y specimens are suspended in water in a quartz vial by FLUKA simulation. Then, the solution is irradiated for 4 days under 9E+14 n/cm2/s neutron flux of reactor. Also, a neutron activator including three layers-lead moderator, graphite reflector, and polyethylene absorbent- is simulated and tungsten target is irradiated by 60 MeV protons of cyclotron to generate induced neutrons for ¹⁸⁸W and ⁹⁰Sr production via neutron capture. As the neutron energy reduced, the flux gradually increased towards epithermal range to satisfy (n/2n,γ) reactions. The obtained specific activities at saturation were higher than the reported experimental values because the accumulated epithermal flux and nano-sized specimens influence the outcomes. The beta emitters, which are widely utilized in brachytherapy, appeal an alternative route to locally achieve a rational yield. Therefore, the proposed method via neutron activator may ascertain these broad requirements.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.67-73
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• 2018

$[^{11}C]PIB$ synthesis has been performed by a loop-methylation and HPLC purification in our lab. However, this method is time-consuming and requires complicated systems. Thus, we developed an on-cartridge method which simplified the synthetic procedure and reduced time greatly by removing HPLC purification step. We compared 6 different cartridges and evaluated the $[^{11}C]PIB$ production yields and specific activities. $[^{11}C]MeOTf$ was synthesized by using TRACERlab FXC Pro and was transferred into the cartridge by blowing with helium gas for 3 min. To remove byproducts and impurities, cartridges were washed out by 20 mL of 30% EtOH in 0.5 M $NaH_2PO_4$ solution (pH 5.1) and 10 mL of distilled water. And then, $[^{11}C]PIB$ was eluted by 5 mL of 30% EtOH in 0.5 M $NaH_2PO_4$ into the collecting vial containing 10 mL saline. Among the 6 cartridges, only tC18 environmental cartridge could remove impurities and byproducts from $[^{11}C]PIB$ completely and showed higher specific activity than traditional HPLC purification method. This method took only 8 ~ 9 min from methylation to formulation. For the tC18 environmental cartridge and conventional HPLC loop methods, the radiochemical yields were $12.3{\pm}2.2%$ and $13.9{\pm}4.4%$, respectively, and the molar activities were $420.6{\pm}20.4GBq/{\mu}mol$ (n=3) and $78.7{\pm}39.7GBq/{\mu}mol$ (n=41), respectively. We successfully developed a facile on-cartridge methylation method for $[^{11}C]PIB$ synthesis which enabled the procedure more simple and rapid, and showed higher molar radio-activity than HPLC purification method.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to find out drug use pattern of narcotic analgesics in university hospitals in Korea. A university hospital located in Kyungbuk province was chosen for this study. The drug use pattern was analyzed in terms of ingredient, administration route, patient type, and attending department. Amount of drug usage was counted by unit dose defined by the number of ampule or vial for injectable, tablet or capsule for oral, and each for patch preparations. Result showed that 11 narcotic analgesic ingredients were used during 2007-2009, and the drug usage was increased by about 20% annually during the period. Proportion of oral preparations used for pain management was about two third of all narcotic analgesics usage and kept increasing during the period. Proportion of the drug usage for outpatients was also steadily increased. Notably, the usage of oral preparations of oxycodone, morphine, and hydromorphone was rapidly increased for the management of cancer pain while the usage of codeine and codeine-containing composite preparations for cancer pain were minimal (<10%). About 90% of all narcotic analgesics were used by physicians in Internal Department, especially in Oncology Division of the Department. These findings suggest that pain management is becoming more aggressive and in agreement with WHO's guidelines regarding selection of administration route. However, in terms of 3-step ladder for cancer pain management, the drug use pattern was not congruent to WHO's guidelines. Therefore, in conclusion, it appears that physicians need to try to be congruent to the guidelines when using narcotic analgesics for cancer pain.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.190-197
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• 2004

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by chronic synovial inflammation which leads to joint destruction. Gene therapy of RA targets the players of inflammation or articular destruction. However, viral vectors have safety problems and side effects, while non-viral vectors suffer from inefficient gene transfer and fast loss of gene expression. To overcome the limits of non-vial vectors, an EBV-based plasmid which is known to exert prolonged high level gene expression can be used. Methods: pEBVGFP, pEBVIL-10, and pEBVvIL-10 were constructed by cloning GFP, IL-10, and vIL-10 genes into an EBV-based plasmid, respectively. The pGFP was used as a control plasmid. Each constructs were lipofected into HIG-82 rabbit synoviocytes. The expression of GFP was monitored by FACS and confocal microscopy. IL-10 and vIL-10 expressions were measured by ELISA. Results: GFP expression 2 days after transfection was achieved in 33.2% of cells. GFP-expressing cells transfected with pGFP decreased rapidly from 4 days after transfection and disappeared completely by 11 days. Cells transfected with pEBVGFP began to decrease slowly from 4 days. But GFP expression was detected for over 35 days. In addition, HIG-82 cells transfected with pEBVIL-10 ($44.6{\pm}1.5ng/ml$) or pEBVvIL-10 ($51.0{\pm}5.7ng/ml$) secreted these cytokines at high levels. High level cytokine production by hygromycin selection was maintained at least for up to 26 days after transfection. Conclusion: These results suggest that the EBV-based plasmid has a potential to improve non-viral gene transfer system and may be applicable to treat RA without the drawbacks of viral vectors.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2009

To prevent the food poisoning originated by consumption of shellfish contaminated with domoic acid, the quantitative analysis of domoic acid is to be very important. The stability of domoic acid at different temperature, pH and light was investigated using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The mean recoveries of domoic acid in the methanol extracts from oyster (Crassostrea gigas), blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), short neck clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) and ark shell (Scapharca broughtonii) were 85.4-104.5%, 94.8-101.2%, 91.0-104.6%, and 95.7-109.6%, respectively. The working solutions of domoic acid standard were very stable for one month at $-18^{\circ}C$, $4^{\circ}C$, and room temperature. And domoic acid in the methanol extract from oyster was stable for a day at $4^{\circ}C$ and room temperature, and for a week at $-18^{\circ}C$. Therefore, this implies that quantitative analysis for domoic acid must consider the storage conditions of the standard solutions and the methanol extracts from shellfish. The standard solutions adjusted to pH 3-9 were also stable after heating at $121^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. The effect of light exposure on domoic acid was tested by exposing the methanol extracts to light. Domoic acid degraded slowly when the samples were kept in the dark (brown vial). However, following the light exposure the photodegradation became more rapid; no detectable domoic acid remained in $1.0{\mu}g/mL$ of methanol extract after 5 hours.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Developmental Biology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.98-98
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• 2003

Recently, human embryonic stem (hES) cells have become very important resources for ES cell basic research, cell replacement therapy, and other medical applications; thus, efficient cryopreservation methods for these cells are needed. This study examined whether a newly developed minimum volume cooling (MVC) vitrification method, which was tested through cryopreservation of sensitive bovine oocytes, can be used for freezing hES cells. Feeder-free cultured hES cell (MB03) colonies were mechanically dissected into several small clumps following enzymatic treatment. We compared the freezing efficiency of a slow-cooling method using a cryo-module (0.4-0.6C/min, 20-30 clumps/vial) and MVC vitrification using a modified 0.5-ml French mini-straw designated as a MVC straw (>$20,000{\circ}C$/min, 10 clumps/straw) After thawing, in vitro survival of hES cell clumps was higher for MVC-vitrified cells (80.8%, 97/120) than for slow-cooled cells (38.2%, 39/102). Further, the proliferation rate of surviving MVC-vitrified cells was similar to that of control hES cells from 2 weeks after thawing. In addition, vitrified-thawed hES cells demonstrated a normal karyotype, were positively immunostained for surface marker antibodies (AP, SSEA-4 and TRA-1-60) and the Oct-4 antibody, and could differentiate into all three embryonic germ layer cells in vitro. This result demonstrates that hES cell clumps can be successfully cryopreserved by a newly developed MVC vitrification method without loss of human cell characteristics.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 1984

A number of studies on the papillae of cercariae of trematodes reported that the papillar patterns (or chaetotaxy) of cercariae might be an excellent method to attain better understanding of the digenetic trematodes (Richard, 1971 ; Short and Cartrett, 1973; Bayssade-Dufour, 1979) . The present study was aimed to determine the number, distribution pattern and structure of the sensory papillae of Metagonimus yokogawai cercariae, and to elucidate the chaetotaxy of this digenetic trematode. M. yokogawai cercariae were pipetted from a vial in which infected snails (Semisulcospira libertina) had been kept for 3 hours. The snails were collected from an endemic area of M. yokogawai, Boseong river in west-southern part of Korea. Observations of papillae were based on light microscopy of those stained with silver nitrate, and on scanning electron microscopy The results are summarized as follows: 1, All papillae observed were uniciliated. 2. Cilia in anterior tip were shorter than the others in other portions. 3. The body papillae were arranged in essentially symmetrical patterns, Total number of the papillae was 126(63 pairs) in average; anterior tip 40(20 pairs), ventral 20(10 pairs), lateral 42(21 pairs), and caudal 8(4 pairs). 4. The chaetotany of M. yokogawai cercaria was: Ci cycle ($3+3C_{I}V,{\;}2+2C_{I}L,{\;}2+3C_{I}D),{\;}C_{II}{\;}cycle(2C_{II}V,{\;}1C_{II}L,{\;}2C_{II}D),{\;}C_{lll}{\;}cycle{\;}(1+lC_{III}V,{\;}1C_{IlI}L),{\;}C_{IV}{\;}cycle{\;}(1C_{IV}V,{\;}IC_{lV}L){\;}in{\;}cephalic{\;}region:{\;}A_I(1A_{IV}V,{\;}1+2A_{I}L,{\;}1A_{I}D),{\;}A_{II}(1A_{II}V,{\;}1+3A_{II}L,{\;}1A_{II}D),{\;}A_{III}(1A_{III}V,{\;}1+1A_{III}L,{\;}1A_{III}D){\;}and{\;}A_{IV}(1A_{IV}V,{\;}2A_{IV}L)$ in antacetabular region: $1M_{I}V{\;}and{\;}2M_{I}L$ in median: $1+1P_{I}L,{\;}1P_{II}L,{\;}1P_{II}D,{\;}1P_{III}L,{\;}1P_{IV}L{\;}and{\;}1P_{IV}D$ in postacetabular region: 2-2-2-2 in caudal region.

• Korean Journal Plant Pathology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.339-344
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• 1998

Since the leaf inoculation procedures are time-consuming and require considerable growth chamber space, a rapid dioassay method for screening of pathogenicity of Didymella bryoniae, a casual agent of gummy stem blight in watermelon, was established in this paper. The method produced reliable results within 8 days ( 5 days for growing seedlings and 3 days for rapid disease response in the seedlings). After contaminants in the root of 4~5 day-old seedlings had been washed using sterilized water, 5 seedlings were dipped into a vial containing 12 ml of conidial suspension (106 cells/ml). After the vials were placed in a growth chamber (22$^{\circ}C$, RH 50%, 14hr light/10hr darkness) for 3 days, susceptibility and resistance of cultivars were determined by the degree of disease response on cotyledon. The result of obtained by the dip-inoculation method was well coincided with the results by the leaf inoculation procedures and the result that had been observed for several years in the field. Screening of collected watermelon cultivars by the dip-inoculation method revealed that all the 21 domestic cultivars collected were susceptible and only 3 foreign cultivars (PI 189225, PI 482322 and IT 188207) were resistant among 18 cultivars A cucumber cultivar (Marketer) and bitter cucumber were proven to be resistant against the D. bryoniae among 8 other different cucurbits tested. The SDS-PAGE patterns of total proteins from a susceptible (Keumcheon) and a resistant (PI 189225) watermelon cultivars were compared 0, 12, 24 and 36 hrs after inoculation. The amounts of two distinct protein bands (24 kDa and 70 kDa) were gradually increased after inoculation in both cultivars.