• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.44-53
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• 2008

Purpose : Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) caused by adenovirus is a highly contagious disease, which has been reported as outbreaks involving adults in the community. However, there has been no report on EKC outbreak by adenovirus in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Korea. Aims of this study were to investigate the EKC outbreak by adenovirus type 8 in NICU and to confirm an effectiveness of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for diagnosis. Methods : Conjunctival swab or nasopharyngeal aspirate specimens were taken from all patients and tested by viral culture and PCR. Adenovirus serotype was determined by sequencing of PCR product of selected region of hexon gene using the virus isolates or specimens. Results : An outbreak of EKC occurred which was involving 12 preterm infants in the NICU of the Seoul National University Children's Hospital between July 12th and August 1st, 2005. Three hospital staffs and one family member of the neonate were also affected. Adenovirus was detected in 12/12 (100%), 6/11 (54.5%) by PCR and virus culture, respectively. Eleven PCR-positive neonates were identified as serotype 8 by sequencing. The first affected 4 babies have had routine ROP (retinopathy of prematurity) examinations one week ago. While previous outbreaks were sustained for a few months, the event in our unit was controlled without complications in 3 weeks. Conclusion : We analyzed the EKC outbreak by adenovirus type 8 in NICU. Adenovirus serotype was identified by PCR and sequencing with high sensitivity for the first time in Korea, so we suggest this method can be very useful for rapid diagnosis and infection control.

• Korean Journal of Breeding Science
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.649-653
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• 2010

'Dacheong', a new japonica rice variety developed from a cross between Iksan450 having a good eating-quality and multi-disease resistance, and YR21258-GH3 having insect resistance, was developed by the rice breeding team of Department of Rice and Winter Cereal Crop, NICS, RDA in 2008. This variety has about 125 days growth duration from transplanting to harvesting in west-southern coast, Honam and Youngnam plain of Korea. It has 87 cm culm length and tolerance to lodging. In reaction to biotic and abiotic stresses, it shows resistance to blast, bacterial blight pathogen races from $K_1\;to\;K_3$, stripe virus and brown plant hopper. The milled rice of 'Dacheong' exhibits translucent, relatively clear non-glutinous endosperm and medium short grain. It has slightly lower amylose content of 18.8% and lower protein content of 5.7%, and good palatability of cooked rice compared with Nampyeongbyeo. The milled rice yield performance of this variety is about 5.91 MT/ha in local adaptability test for three years. 'Dacheong' would be adaptable to west-southern coast, Honam and Youngnam plain of Korea.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2012

Purpose : This study was conducted to evaluate epidemiological data of the viral pathogens obtained from stool exams and provide information on the regional prevalence of infectious diarrheal disease west in Gyeonggi Province, Korea. Methods : We enrolled a cohort of children <10 years of age admitted for treatment of acute diarrhea at Bucheon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea. In total, 310 fecal specimens, documented to be free of common bacterial pathogens, were collected from pediatric patients during a 12-month period from January to December 2009 and were tested for the presence of rotavirus, parechovirus, adenovirus, astrovirus, enterovirus, and norovirus using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. Results : The most common virus was parechovirus (16%), followed by adenovirus (15%), astrovirus (14%), rotavirus (13%), and enterovirus (5%). Interestingly, only one of the specimens was positive for norovirus. Single infection cases were detected in 173 (55.8%) of the 310 children, whereas mixed viral infections were detected in 10 (3.2%) of the same children. Viral gastroenteritis generally showed a double peak of incidence. Parechovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus shared a similar pattern of peak incidence with overall viruses; however, astrovirus infections occurred more frequently in the spring. Eighty-five percent of the confirmed viral gastroenteritis cases developed in under 24 months. Conclusion : The results support the importance of parechovirus, adenovirus, astrovirus, and enterovirus as causative agents of diarrhea in children, which may be underestimated by current routine diagnostic testing.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.16-27
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• 2004

In the traditional Chinese medicine, Drynariae Rhizoma (DR) has been reported as a good enhancer for bone healing. DR, a plant widely used in the traditional medicinal systems of Korea, has been reported to possess antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities. Modulation of immune response to alleviate disease has been of interest for a long time. Plant extracts have been widely investigated for possible immunomodulatory properties. Thus, I have evaluated the anticellular and immunomodulatory properties of ethanolic extract of DR. DR extract inhibited proliferation of mitogen (phytohaemagglutinin; PHA) and antigen (purified protein derivative; PPD)-stimulated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In addition, DR inhibited growth of several cell lines of mouse and human origin. It also inhibited production of nitric oxide (NO), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}\;(TNF-{\alpha})$. Intracytoplasmic $interferon-{\gamma}\;(IFN-{\gamma})$ and expression of cell surface markers, CD16 and HLA-DR, on human PBMC, were not affected on treatment with DR but CD25 expression was down regulated. This study demonstrates the antiproliferative and immunosuppressive potential of ethanolic extract of DR in vitro.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 2013

Purpose: Lymphocyte subset recovery is an important factor that determines the success of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Temporal differences in the recovery of lymphocyte subsets and the factors influencing this recovery are important variables that affect a patient's posttransplant immune reconstitution, and therefore require investigation. Methods: The time taken to achieve lymphocyte subset recovery and the factors influencing this recovery were investigated in 59 children who had undergone HSCT at the Department of Pediatrics, The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, and who had an uneventful follow-up period of at least 1 year. Analyses were carried out at 3 and 12 months post-transplant. An additional study was performed 1 month post-transplant to evaluate natural killer (NK) cell recovery. The impact of pre- and post-transplant variables, including diagnosis of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNAemia posttransplant, on lymphocyte recovery was evaluated. Results: The lymphocyte subsets recovered in the following order: NK cells, cytotoxic T cells, B cells, and helper T cells. At 1 month post-transplant, acute graft-versus-host disease was found to contribute significantly to the delay of $CD16^+/56^+$ cell recovery. Younger patients showed delayed recovery of both $CD3^+/CD8^+$ and $CD19^+$ cells. EBV DNAemia had a deleterious impact on the recovery of both $CD3^+$ and $CD3^+/CD4^+$ lymphocytes at 1 year post-transplant. Conclusion: In our pediatric allogeneic HSCT cohort, helper T cells were the last subset to recover. Younger age and EBV DNAemia had a negative impact on the post-transplant recovery of T cells and B cells.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.396-403
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• 2009

Male broiler chicks were fed graded levels of organic zinc (zinc-methionine) supplementation to investigate the effects of partial or complete substitution of the organic zinc source for inorganic ones on the development of lymphoid organs and immunological responses. A total of 450 day-old male broilers were distributed into groups of 10 chicks and randomly assigned to nine experimental diets during a 42-day feeding trial. Dietary treatments consisted of two basal diets supplemented with 40 mg/kg added zinc as feed-grade Zn sulfate or Zn oxide in which, Zn was replaced with that provided from zinc-methionine (ZnMet) complex at the levels of 25, 50, 75 or 100%. Two randomly-selected birds from each pen replicate were bled and then slaughtered by cervical cutting on the final day of the trial to measure leukocyte subpopulations and relative weights of lymphoid organs. Among lymphoid organs, only thymus weight was affected (p<0.05) by dietary treatments. The sulfate-supplemented birds were heavier (p<0.01) in relative weight of thymus than oxide-supplemented birds. The 10 days of age-assessed cutaneous hypersensivity reaction was stronger in chicks fed ZnMet-containing diets. Dietary ZnMet supplementation caused (p<0.05) an increase in proportion of lymphocytes and consequently a decrease in heterophil to lymphocyte ratio. Diet fortification by zinc-methionine complex increased (p<0.01) Newcastle antibody titer at 19 days of age. Also, a similar response was observed in antibody titers at 6 and 12 d after infectious bronchitis vaccine administration. There was no significant effect of replacement of dietary zinc on antibody titer against infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) at the 6th d post-vaccine inoculation; however, at d 12 after vaccination, ZnMet-fortified diets improved antibody titer against IBDV. Although dietary inclusion of ZnMet had no marked effect on primary antibody titer against sheep erythrocytes, effective responses were observed during secondary reaction from the viewpoint of both total antibody and immunoglobulin Y (IgY) titers. From the present findings, it can be concluded that dietary supplementation with organic zinc improves both cellular and humoral immune responses. It is necessary to replace 75% of supplemental inorganic zinc with organic ZnMet complex to achieve the optimum immunological responses in broiler chicks.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.67 no.2
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• pp.135-139
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• 2009

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a recently recognized human respiratory pathogen, which is known to be associated with upper and lower respiratory tract infections mainly in children, immunocompromised patients, and the elderly. The clinical manifestations of hMPV infections are similar to those of the human respiratory syncytial virus infection, which range from mild upper respiratory tract infection to severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Recently, hMPV has come to be thought of as the cause a similar spectrum of disease in adults as that seen in children; however, most of the reports of hMPV infections have focused on infection in children. We report a case of severe hMPV pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation in an immunocompetent adult in Korea.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10723-10728
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• 2015

Background: To determine the level of knowledge on human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and vaccination, and the attitude towards HPV vaccination in pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists (OBG). Materials and Methods: Participants were administered a 40-question survey, investigating the demographic properties, the knowledge on the HPV infection-vaccination and attitudes towards vaccination. Results: The study enrolled a total of 228 participants (131 pediatricians and 97 OBGs). At a rate of 99.6%, the participants agreed with the fact that the HPV infection was the most common sexually transmitted disease and 33.8% of the participants had the opinion that the HPV vaccination should be administered only in women. The lowest level of HPV vaccine recommendation was among the pediatrics specialists (59.4%, p=0.012). When asked whether they would have their daughters receive HPV vaccination, 79.5% of the participants answered favorably; this rate was 36.7% for the sons. At a rate of 59.5% of the participants thought that the HPV vaccine needed to be included in the national vaccine schedule. Most of the participants (91.6%) had the idea that reduction of the vaccine costs would increase the vaccination frequency. Conclusions: We observed that the consideration of the costs and the prejudices relating to the inefficacy of vaccination as well as the inadequate level of knowledge were involved in the physicians' resistance to HPV vaccination. We believe that the healthcare professionals should be informed adequately to overcome false beliefs, thereby ensuring success of the HPV vaccine upon inclusion in the national vaccine schedule in the future.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.178-184
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• 2004

This research focuses on the overall evaluation of tumor protein (p53) and cell growth marker (Ki-67) in their functions as carcinogenic factors in both a HPV-infected group and in a HPV-noninfected group with the precancerous dysplasia of uterine cervix. Histological grades were determined by the H&E staining and the expression level of p53 and Ki-67 were tested by the immunohistochemistry method. The results were as follows. Among the total of 66 cases, p53 (+) was observed in 19 cases (29.0%) from the mild grade group, 22 cases (33.0%) from the moderate grade group, and 19 cases (29.0%) from the severe grade group. The values correlate with the increase of dysplasia intensity in HPV-noninfected group and showed significant correlation (p<0.05), but there were no significant difference from the HPV-infected group. Among a total of 66 cases, the mitotic index of Ki-67 (+) were observed in 19 cases (29.0%) from the mild grade group, 22 cases (33.0%) from the moderate grade group, and 19 cases (29.0%) from the severe grade group. The values were significantly different against dysplasia intensity (p<0.05), but showed no significant difference from HPV infection. After cross comparing the statistical parameters of p53 and ki-67 in their significance, p53 was shown to be statistically significant with Ki-67 while there was no statistically significant difference with Ki-67 (p<0.05). Taken together, tumor protein (p53) and an index of Ki-67 observed in cervical dysplasia and in HPV related dysplasia of cervix uterine did not have any notable significance with HPV infection. The incidence rate of p53, however, had some significant correlation with dysplasia while Ki-67 had no particular statistical significance. As a result, p53 and Ki-67 can be considered as effective diagnostic markers in predicting the disease progression of dysplasia to cervical cancer.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.27-35
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• 2015

VHSV is a major viral agent that affects freshwater and marine fish, causing serious economic losses in aquaculture in the world. Due to their filter-feeding activity, bivalve mollusks may act as viral transmitters after accumulation of the fish viruses released into seawater from infected fish. Amplification by RT-PCR was carried out to investigate the presence of VHSV in pacific oysters (Crassotrea gigas) and blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), inhabiting regions around aquatic farms in Korea. Primers designed from conserved regions of VHSVs allowed us to detect four different types of VHSV in a single PCR. Twenty two of the eighty four samples showed positive results of VHSV in a 2-step RT-PCR. Using six positive samples from three different regions in Korea, we cloned and sequenced the glycoprotein (G) gene (467-bp long) of VHSVs. Genetic analysis of the VHSVs detected in shellfish in various geographical areas of Korea showed highly restricted results to VHSV type Iva. This was in agreement with the reports showing only a single genotype of VHSV (Iva genotype) in outbreaks in cultured or wild fish in Korea. Consequently, we investigated VHSVs carried by bivalve mollusks inhabiting the vicinity of aquatic farms, and revealed correlationship between the type of viral accumulated in shellfish by filter-feeding, and those detected in disease outbreaks in fish.