• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.290-299
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• 2009

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence, incidence, duration and risk factors for delirium following liver transplantation while the patients were in the acute stage and admitted to the intensive care unit. Method: A retrospective chart review of 106 patients who had liver transplantation was conducted. A delirium risk factor checklist was used, to collect preoperative and postoperative data. Descriptive analysis, t-test, x2-test, and logistic regression analyses were used for data analysis. Results: The post-transplantation incidence of delirium was 29.3% (n=31). Multivariate analysis revealed that risk factors were preoperative conditions in the patients including spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatorenal syndrome, and postoperative laboratory test results, such as hyperbilirubinemia. Conclusion: Therefore, a daily delirium risk factor assessment should be conducted before liver transplantation as a way to identify risk of delirium after the liver transplantation and to effectively manage delirium when it occurs.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2006

The production of extended-spectrum ${\beta}$-lactamases ($ESBL_S$) is the main mechanism of bacterial resistance to third-generation cephalosporins and monobactams, whose prevalence varies depending on the different geographical areas. In the last years it has increased notably to the point of being considered a health problem of great importance. The characterization of the ESBLs producing Klebsiella penumoniae strains present in clinical isolates is time-consuming. I describe here the development of a new system, which consists of a multiplex PCR. I found 51 K. pneumoniae strains to be presumptive strains ESBLs producers by clinical and laboratory standards institute (CLSI) guidelines. The double disc synergy test showed 47 positive K. pneumoniae, which were K. pneumoniae isolates. All ESBLs producing K. pneumoniae strains were resistant to antibiotic amikacin, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin. By multiplex PCR analysis, $bla_{TEM}$ gene in 17 strains 44 $bla_{SHV}$ genes and $bla_{CTX}$ genes in 33 strains were identified. In this study, the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was a good method to detect and differentiate ESBLs producing K. penumoniae strains in clinical isolates.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.211-217
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• 1999

The objective of this study was to determine the cause and prevalence of bovine abortion and stillbirth in Kyungi-do area. Seventy three bovine fetuses were collected from farms and submitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University. Submitted fetuses were evaluated during a 4-month period (July to November, 1999) for pathological lesion, tissue protozoa, bacteria and viral infection. The average proportion of abortions was decreased with parity in 73 abortion heifers and cows. Monthly incidence rate of bovine abortion was not different in this study. In fetuses from 90 to 282 days gestation, the majority were between 150 and 250 days gestation(58%). The cause of abortion or stillbirth was determined in 51% of the cases examined. In 15(21%) of the fetus, neosporosis were diagnosed by pathological findings. In three (4%) additional fetuses in three additional fetuses, suspected Neosporosis by pathological lesion, and in 3 (4%) fetuses examined Neopsorosis were diagnosed in 15 feturses and in 3 fetuses, Neosporosis was suspected by pathological legions. Neosporosis / viral infection were diagnosed in three additional fetuses). Miscellaneous bacterial infection, BVDV, iatrogenic cause, Neosporosis / IBRV / BVDV, miscellaneous viral, IBRV/BVDV and others were 3(4%), 3(4%), 2(3%), 2(3%), 1(1%), 1(%) and 9(12%) respectively. The cause and incidence of bovine abortion in different area in Kyungi-do was not different in this study.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.69-73
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• 2011

Food borne pathogens are a growing concern for human health and food safety throughout the world. Milk and dairy products are commonly associated with spoilage or contamination from a wide variety of physical, microbial, and chemical hazardous. Microbiological risk analysis consists of three components: risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication, and overall objective of this process is ultimately public health protection. The microbiological risk assessment is useful tool to evaluate food safety as it is based on a scientific approach. In addition risk assessment process includes quantitative estimation of the probability of occurrence of microbial hazards to evaluate more accurate human exposure. The aim of this study is to review the microbiological risk assessment on the prevalence of bacterial foodborne pathogens in milk and dairy products.

• Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.575-590
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• 2018

The prevalence of allergic disorders has dramatically increased over the past decade, particularly in developed countries. Apart from gastrointestinal disorders, neoplasia, genital and dermatological diseases etc., dysregulation of gut microbiota (dysbiosis) has also been found to be associated with increased risk of allergies. Probiotics are increasingly being employed to correct dysbiosis and, in turn, to modulate allergic diseases. However, several factors like strain variations and effector metabolites or component of them in a bacterial species can affect the efficacy of those as probiotics. On the other hand, host variations like geographical locations, food habits etc. could also affect the expected results from probiotic usage. Thus, there is a glaring deficiency in our approach to establish probiotics as an irrefutable treatment avenue for suitable disorders. In this review, we explicate on the reported probiotics and their effects on certain allergic diseases like atopic dermatitis, food allergy and asthma to establish their utility. We propose possible measures like elucidation of effector molecules and functional mechanisms of probiotics towards establishing probiotics for therapeutic use. Certain probiotics studies have led to very alarming outcomes which could have been precluded, had effective guidelines been in place. Thus, we also propose ways to secure the safety of probiotics. Overall, our efforts tend to propose necessary discovery and quality assurance guidelines for developing probiotics as potential immunomodulatory 'Pharmabiotics.'

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.4
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• pp.320-331
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• 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a major health burden worldwide, with over 450 million confirmed cases and 6 million deaths. Although the acute phase of COVID-19 management has been established, there is still a long way to go to evaluate the long-term clinical course or manage complications due to the relatively short outbreak of the virus. Pulmonary fibrosis is one of the most common respiratory complications associated with COVID-19. Scarring throughout the lungs after viral or bacterial pulmonary infection have been commonly observed, but the prevalence of post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis is rapidly increasing. However, there is limited information available about post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis, and there is also a lack of consensus on what condition should be defined as post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis. During a relatively short follow-up period of approximately 1 year, lesions considered related to pulmonary fibrosis often showed gradual improvement; therefore, it is questionable at what time point fibrosis should be evaluated. In this review, we investigated the epidemiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, and management of post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.169-176
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• 2023

The emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been increasing with anthropogenic contamination. Understanding the prevalence and distribution of these resistant bacteria in environments is crucial for effectively managing anthropogenic pollutants. Lake Gyeongpo in the Gangwon Province of South Korea is known for its diverse ecological features and human interactions. The lake is exposed to pollutants from nonpoint sources, including urban areas, agricultural practices, and recreational activities, which can introduce antibiotics and foster antibiotic resistance in bacteria. The present study investigates Lake Gyeongpo as a potential reservoir for antibiotic-resistant bacteria in a natural ecosystem. A total of 203 bacterial isolates were collected from six sampling locations in Lake Gyeongpo during May, July, and November 2022. Most isolates were taxonomically identified as Pseudoalteromonas, Bacillus, Shewanella, and Vibrio spp.; their abundance showed a spatiotemporal distribution. An antibiotic susceptibility test was conducted on 75 isolates using the disk diffusion method with six drugs according to the CLSI guideline; 42 isolates were resistant to one or more antibiotics. Among these, 15 isolates were identified as multidrug resistant bacteria. This finding suggests the potential anthropogenic impact on Lake Gyeongpo and provides valuable insights into the dissemination of antibiotic resistance caused by anthropogenic pollutants.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.283-291
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• 2023

Brucellosis and tuberculosis are major infectious and contagious bacterial diseases in cattle. These diseases are malicious diseases that must be inspected at the slaughterhouse of cattle in accordance with the practice of quarantine in Korea. Furthermore, both diseases lead to abortion, reproductive disorder, and calf disease, causing major difficulty in the breeding of Korean Native cattle (Hanwoo), a representative industrial animal currently being raised in Korea. Co-infections of these diseases intensify clinical symptoms such as abortion and have a particularly significant effect on increasing mortality. Thus, serological tests were performed in Hanwoo, to establish the association of co-infection between brucellosis and tuberculosis in cattle. ELISA and PCR tests were conducted on blood samples collected from a total of 102 cattle in Jeonnam province, Korea, to detect brucellosis and tuberculosis infections. The PCR results revealed that 41 samples tested positive for Brucella abortus (B. abortus) infection (40.20%), and 5 samples tested positive for Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) (4.90%) infection confirmed by PCR. Notably, 9.76% (4/41) of the cattle infected with brucellosis also tested positive for tuberculosis. In conclusion, this study highlights the co-infection of brucellosis and tuberculosis among Hanwoo cattle in Jeonnam province, which is expected to contribute to our understanding of disease transmission, pathogenicity, the establishment of future prevention strategies.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1495-1505
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• 2023

The western honeybee Apis mellifera L., a vital crop pollinator and producer of honey and royal jelly, faces numerous threats including diseases, chemicals, and mite infestations, causing widespread concern. While extensive research has explored the link between gut microbiota and their hosts. However, the impact of Varroa destructor infestation remains understudied. In this study, we employed massive parallel amplicon sequencing assays to examine the diversity and structure of gut microbial communities in adult bee groups, comparing healthy (NG) and Varroa-infested (VG) samples. Additionally, we analyzed Varroa-infested hives to assess the whole body of larvae. Our results indicated a notable prevalence of the genus Bombella in larvae and the genera Gillamella, unidentified Lactobacillaceae, and Snodgrassella in adult bees. However, no statistically significant difference was observed between NG and VG. Furthermore, our PICRUSt analysis demonstrated distinct KEGG classification patterns between larval and adult bee groups, with larvae displaying a higher abundance of genes involved in cofactor and vitamin production. Notably, despite the complex nature of the honeybee bacterial community, methanogens were found to be present in low abundance in the honeybee microbiota.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.84-95
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• 2022

Purpose: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common serious bacterial infections in young infants. Lumbar puncture (LP) has been used to diagnose coexisting meningitis in infants under 90 days of age with suspected UTI in many hospitals. However, the incidence of bacterial meningitis associated with UTIs is low. We aimed to describe the prevalence of concomitant bacterial meningitis in young infants with UTIs. Methods: The medical records of infants with the first episode of UTI admitted to the Chung-Ang University Hospital from January 2010 to December 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Infants aged < 90 days who underwent LP with initial evaluation were included. Demographic and clinical features, laboratory findings, and imaging findings were collected and analyzed. Results: Eighty-six infants with UTIs were enrolled in the study. The median age was 61.5 days (interquartile range, 42.3-73.8 days) and boys (90.7%) were predominant. Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen (n=80, 93.0%) and followed by Klebsiella species (n=5, 5.8%). Fifteen (18.1%) specimens produced extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL). Five (5.8%) infants had positive blood culture results. Seven (8.1%) infants showed pleocytosis in the cerebrospinal fluid, but none had coexisting bacterial meningitis. Twenty-four (30.8%) infants showed renal dilatation or hydronephrosis on ultrasonography. Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scans revealed cortical defects in 17 (21.3%) infants while voiding cystourethrography revealed vesicoureteral reflux in 6 (46.2%) infants. Conclusion: Co-existing bacterial meningitis was not observed in young infants with UTIs. LP could not be routinely performed considering the clinical condition of <90 days old UTI patients.