• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.2005-2017
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• 2007

Diabetic nephropathy remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the diabetic population and is the leading cause of end-stage renal failure. Despite current therapeutics including intensified glycemic control and blood pressure lowering agents, renal disease continues to progress relentlessly in diabetic patients, albeit at a lower rate. Since synthetic drugs for diabetes are known to have side effects, fungal mushrooms as a natural product come into preventing the development of diabetes. Our previous report showed the hypoglycemic effect of extracellular fungal polysaccharides (EPS) in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. In this study, we analyzed the differential expression patterns of rat kidney proteins from normal, STZ-induced diabetic, and EPS-treated diabetic rats, to discover diabetes-associated proteins in rat kidney. The results of proteomic analysis revealed that up to 500 protein spots were visualized, of which 291 spots were differentially expressed in the three experimental groups. Eventually, 51 spots were statistically significant and were identified by peptide mass fingerprinting. Among the differentially expressed renal proteins, 10 were increased and 16 were decreased significantly in diabetic rat kidney. The levels of different proteins, altered after diabetes induction, were returned to approximately those of the healthy rats by EPS treatment. A histopathological examination showed that EPS administration restored the impaired kidney to almost normal architecture. The study of protein expression in the normal and diabetic kidney tissues enabled us to find several diabetic nephropathy-specific proteins, such as phospholipids scramblase 3 and tropomyosin 3, which have not been mentioned yet in connection with diabetes.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.467-479
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• 1999

The mortality and morbidity caused by injury and poisoning has been major public health problem in Korea. This study was carried out to get information indispensable in developing prevention srategies peculiar to korean rural area. In this study 1.499 people of 496 households. who are living in five rural villages of Chooncheon City. Kang-Won Province. were interviewed in accordance with structured questionaire in 1996. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. The age-standardized annual incidence rates of injury and poisoning per 100 persons surveyed were 4.2 in males and 1.9 in females. The difference between sex was statistically significant. 2. The places where most of injuries and poisonings occurred were road 66.7% among males. road 31.6% among females. 3. The occurrence of the injuries and poisonings were clustered in intensive farming season in both males and females. 4. The laceration and stab wound were the most frequent nature of injuries in males and the fracture was the most frequent nature of injuries in females. The fracture. sprain were more frequent among males but sprain and contusion were more frequent among females. 5. Incidence rates of injuries and poisoning by cause were higher in traffic accidents among males. though falls among females. The cause specific incidence rate by age was high in traffic accident for 30-59 year age group. and for the aged people older than 60 years. 6. In the management pattern, 78.8% of the injuries and poisoning were received medical care in hospitals and clinics, and the duration of the treatment over 4 weeks in 37.0%. The results obtained indicate that organized community effort is urgently required to prevent injuries and poisonings in rural area.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.50 no.12
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• pp.1180-1187
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• 2007

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an episodic, multi-system, autoimmune disease characterized by widespread inflammation of blood vessels and connective tissues and by the presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), especially antibodies to native (double-stranded) DNA (dsDNA). Its clinical manifestations are extremely variable, and its natural history is unpredictable. Untreated, SLE is often progressive and has a significant fatality rate. The most widely used criteria for the classification of SLE are those of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), which were revised in 1982 and modified in 1997. The presence of four criteria have been diagnosed as a SLE. Rashes are common at onset and during active disease. The oral mucosa is the site of ulceration with SLE. Arthralgia and arthritis affect most children and these symptoms are short in duration and can be migratory. Lupus nephritis may be more frequent and of greater severity in children than in adults. The initial manifestation of nephritis is microscopic hematuria, followed by proteinuria. The most common neuropsychiatric symptoms are depression, psychosis(hallucination and paranoia) and headache. CNS disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Pericarditis is the most common cardiac manifestation. Libman-Sacks endocarditis is less common in children. The most frequently described pleuropulmonary manifestations are pleural effusions, pleuritis, pneunonitis and pulmonary hemorrhage. During the active phase ESR, CRP, gamma globulin, ferritin and anti-dsDNA are elevated. Antibodies to dsDNA occur in children with active nephritis. Antibodies to the extractable nuclear antigens (Sm, Ro/SS-A, La/SS-B) are strongly associated with SLE. Specific treatment should be individualized and based on the severity of the disease. Sepsis has replaced renal failure as the most common cause of death.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.292-300
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• 2008

Background: Respiratory failure is a common condition that requires intensive care, and has a high mortality rate despite the recent improvements in respiratory care. Previous reports of patients with respiratory failure focused on the specific disease or included a large proportion of surgical patients. This study evaluated the clinical characteristics, outcomes and prognostic factors of adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation in a medical intensive care unit. Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed on 479 adult patients, who received mechanical ventilation for more than 48 hours in the medical ICU of one tertiary referral hospital. Results: The mean age of the patients was $60.3{\pm}15.6$ years and 34.0% were female. The initial mean APACHE III score was $72.3{\pm}25$. The cause of MV included acute respiratory failure (71.8%), acute exacerbation of chronic pulmonary disease (20.9%), coma (5.6%), and neuromuscular disorders (1.7%). Pressure controlled ventilation was used as the initial ventilator mode in 67.8% of patients, and pressure support ventilation was used as the initial weaning mode in 83.6% of the patients. The overall mortality rate in the ICU and hospital was 49.3% and 55.4%, respectively. The main cause of death in hospital was septic shock (32.5%), respiratory failure (11.7%), and multiorgan failure (10.2%). Males, an APACHE III score >70, the cause of respiratory failure (interstitial lung disease, coma, aspiration, pneumonia, sepsis and hemoptysis), the total ventilation time, and length of stay in hospital were independently associated with mortality. Conclusion: The cause of respiratory failure, severity of the patients, and gender appears to be significantly associated with the outcome of mechanical ventilatory support in patients with respiratory failure.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.21.1-21.7
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• 2019

Background: Lactococcus garvieae is one of the most important risk factors in the rainbow trout culture. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify and detect strains isolated from rainbow trout suspected of having Lactococcus garvieae using biochemical characteristics and PCR and determination of the degree of severity of isolated strains. Methods: In this study, the cause of lactococcosis in selected rainbow trout farms in Kohkilooieh and Boyerahmad province was assayed. Gram-positive and catalase-negative bacterial isolates were first obtained from selected trout fish farms using conventional biochemical tests and PCR assay. The 10-day LD₅₀ method (concentration causing 50% mortality in 10 days) was used to determine the severity of the isolated bacteria. Results: One bacterial isolate was detected from all sampled fish which confirmed as Lactococcus garvieae using a specific PCR assay based on the 16S rDNA gene by producing a single band of 1107 bp. Analysis of the rate of mortality showed that the 10-day LD₅₀ was 4.6 × 10⁵ CFU/fish. The results of this study showed that isolated bacteria had high severity for rainbow trout. The presence of bacteria in internal organs of suspected fish showed a severe systemic infection in challenged fish. Antibiogram assay also indicated that the isolated Lactococcus garvieae were resistant to some mostly used antibiotics in rainbow trout. Conclusions: According to current research, it can be concluded that the condition of lactococcosis in the studied area is not suitable, and despite the presence of disease, there is no proper action to control and prevent the disease. Unfortunately, isolated bacteria from the studied area have a very high severity compared to bacteria isolated from other regions of the country or other countries. Therefore, further investigation is needed to determine the cause of this difference and possibly in the design of the vaccine.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.263-272
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• 2004

This study was to investigate single and repeated-dose toxicities of DFA IV, a new candidate of nutraceutical which has preventive effect on anemia and osteoporosis. In single-dose oral toxicity study, the test article were administered once by gavage to rats at dose level of 0, 2,000 and 5,000 mg/kg. No dead animal, abnormal sign and abnormal necropsy finding was found in control and treated groups. Thus the approximate lethal dose of DFA IV was considered to be higher than 5,000 mg/kg in rats. In four week repeated dose oral toxicity study, the test article was administered once daily by gavage to rats at dose levels of 0, 500, 1,000 and 2,000 mg/kg. No abnormality was observed in mortality, clinical findings, body weight changes, food and water consumptions, opthalmoscopic findings, hematological findings, necropsy findings, organ weights and histopathological findings. In urinalysis, specific gravity was increased in 2,000 mg/kg groups of male rats. In serum biochemical analysis, creatine phosphokinase was increased in all treatment groups of male rats. These increases in urine specific gravity and serum creatine phosphokinase activity were not accompanied with related signs such as histopathological changes or clinical findings. In conclusion, four week repeated oral dose of DFA IV to rats did not cause apparent toxicological change at the dose of 500, 1,000 or 2000 mg/kg body weight. Thus it is suggested that no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of DFA IV in rats would be 2,000 mg/kg/day body weight.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2016

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The exploration of new biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity for early diagnosis of AMI therefore becomes one of the primary task. In the current study, we aim to detect whether there is any heart specific long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) releasing into the circulation during AMI, and explore its function in the neonatal rat cardiac myocytes injury induced by $H_2O_2$. Our results revealed that the cardiac-specific lncRNA MHRT (Myosin Heavy Chain Associated RNA Transcripts) was significantly elevated in the blood from AMI patients compared with the healthy control ($^*p<0.05$). Using an in vitro neonatal rat cardiac myocytes injury model, we demonstrated that lncRNA MHRT was upregulated in the cardiac myocytes after treatment with hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) via real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, we knockdowned the MHRT gene by siRNA to confirm its roles in the $H_2O_2$-induced cardiac cell apoptosis, and found that knockdown of MHRT led to significant more apoptotic cells than the non-target control ($^{**}p<0.01$), indicating that the lncRNA MHRT is a protective factor for cardiomyocyte and the plasma concentration of MHRT may serve as a biomarker for myocardial infarction diagnosis in humans AMI.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.42.1-42.16
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• 2021

Background: Inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) is an economically important viral disease primarily affecting broiler and breeder chickens. All 12 serotypes of fowl adenovirus (FAdV) can cause IBH. Objectives: To characterize FAdV isolates based on phylogenetic analysis, and to study the pathogenicity of FAdV-8b in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens following virus inoculation via oral and intramuscular (IM) routes. Methods: Suspected organ samples were subjected to virus isolation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for FAdV detection. Hexon gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis were performed on FAdV-positive samples for serotype identification. One FAdV-8b isolate, UPM/FAdV/420/2017, was selected for fiber gene characterization and pathogenicity study and was inoculated in SPF chickens via oral and IM routes. Results: The hexon gene phylogenetic analysis revealed that all isolates belonged to FAdV-8b. The fiber gene-based phylogenetic analysis of isolate UPM/FAdV/420/2017 supported the grouping of that isolate into FAdV species E. Pathogenicity study revealed that, chickens infected with UPM/FAdV/420/2017 via the IM route had higher clinical score values, higher percent mortality, higher degree of the liver lesions, higher antibody response (p < 0.05), and higher virus shedding amounts (p < 0.05) than those infected via the oral route. The highest virus copy numbers were detected in liver and gizzard. Conclusions: FAdV-8b is the dominant FAdV serotype in Malaysia, and pathogenicity study of the FAdV-8b isolate UPM/FAdV/420/2017 indicated its ability to induce IBH in young SPF chickens when infected via oral or IM routes.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.300-307
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• 1997

We have experienced 25 cases of aortic aneurysm from October 1987 to January 1996. Patients ranged in age from 26yrs to 73yrs(mean age 52. Syrs). There were 13 males and 12 females. Eighteen cases were thoracic aneurysm and seven were abdom nal aneurysm. The cause of aneurysm were dissecting in 16cases aneurysms and non-dissecting in 9 cases. Risk factors of aortic aneurysm were hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, Marfan's syndrome. In thoracic aneurysm patients, 1'S cases of dissecting aneurysm underwent aneurysmectomy and replacement of vessel interposition graft with or without coronary artery implantation on the graft. 6 cases of non-dissecting aneurysm underwent operation with same policy as dissecting aneurysm. In 7 case of abdominal aneurysm,all patients underwent aneurysmectomy and graft interposition with straight i)r Y graft. Thcre were 5 postoperative death(mortality 20%). Several cases of complications were improved with proper managements. All survivors showed improvement in clinical symptom and sign and discharged without specific complications.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2006

Purpose: Injury is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for children. As an injury prevention measure, the differences in external causes of severe pediatric injuries based on ICECI were analyzed according to age groups. Methods: A retrospective study was performed for pediatric patients under 15 years of age, who had been admitted to the emergency department with severe injuries from January 1998 to December 2004. The external causes of injury were investigated according to the ICECI: intent, mechanisms, places of occurrence, objects/substances producing injury, and related activities. The patients were divided into four groups based on age: infant (<0 year), toddler (1~4 years), preschool age (5~8 years), and school age (9~15 years). Results: The injury mechanisms, the places of occurrence and the related objects/substances vary with the age groups. The most common subtype of traffic accidents was pedestrian injury in pre-school age group. Falls most frequently occurred in the toddler group. But falls from a height of less than l meter height (6 patients) occurred only in the infant group. The most common place of occurrence in the infant group was the home, and that of other groups was the road. The related objects/substances for falls, for example, household furnitures and playground equipment depended on the age group. Conclusion: The age-group specific characteristics of severe pediatric injury were analyzed successfully through the ICECI. Therefore, when establishing a plan for the prevention of pediatric injury, consideration must be given to the differences in the external causes of injuries according to age group.