• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.193-200
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• 2019

A clinical suspicion of intestinal spirochetosis is required when patients have long lasting complaints of abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight loss, and nausea. An endoscopy with biopsies needs to be performed to confirm the diagnosis of intestinal spirochetosis. The diagnosis of intestinal spirochetosis is based on histological appearance. Intestinal spirochetosis can also be associated with other intestinal infections and juvenile polyps (JPs). JPs seem to be more frequent in patients with intestinal spirochetosis than in patients without intestinal spirochetosis. Intestinal spirochetosis in children should be treated with antibiotics. Metronidazole is the preferred option. In this article, we describe 4 cases of intestinal spirochetosis in a pediatric population and provide a review of the literature over the last 20 years. Intestinal spirochetosis is a rare infection that can cause a variety of severe symptom. It is diagnosed based on histological appearance.

• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.63-67
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• 2024

This repeated cross-sectional study with two independent sample populations compared the antibody response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccines in Albania in July-August 2021 and 2022. In 2021, it found higher anti-spike-1 seropositivity and antibody levels in fully vaccinated individuals, especially with BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 and to a lesser degree with CoronaVac. By 2022, all single-dose recipients showed high antibody responses, suggesting natural infection-enhanced immunity. The study indicates a significant evolution in the antibody response to different coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines and suggests that a single vaccine dose, coupled with natural infection, might suffice to maintain adequate immunity levels in an endemic scenario.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 2013

Plant virus coat (CP) gene-mediated protection is one of the best known approaches to protect against virus resistant transgenic plants. Transgenic N. benthamiana plants containing the CP gene of Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus (ZGMMV) were used for the environmental risk assessment of the living modified (LM) plants with plant virus resistance. The most optimal co-infection method of both ZGMMV and CMV (Cucumber mosaic virus) on Non-LM and CP-expressing LM tobacco plants was established and co-infection of CMV and ZGMMV was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To address the effects of LM tobacco plants on the mutation of the virus, in-vitro transcripts of CP and Replicase (Rep) derived from CMV and/or ZGMMV were inoculated onto Non-LM or LM tobacco plants. Mutation frequency of CP and Rep from CMV and ZGMMV was examined through six serial passages in Non-LM and LM tobacco plants. Little actual frequency of mutation was estimated, probably due to the limited number of transgenic plants tested in this study. However, it does not suggest environmental safety of these CP-mediated LM plants. Further study at a larger scale is needed to evaluate the environmental risk associated with the CP-expressing LM plants.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.91-96
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• 2012

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of HPV and cervical neoplasia among HIV-infected women in southwestern China. Methods: Cervical cytology, HPV detection by Hybrid Capture-$2^{TM}$ assay, and diagnostic colposcopy were followed by cervical biopsy if indicated. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze associations between HPV co-infection and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and HIV-related clinical and laboratory parameters. Results: Colposcopic-histopathologically proven CIN2+ lesions were present in 7/83 (8.4%) HIV-infected women. Nearly half (41/83, 43%) were co-infected with carcinogenic HPV genotypes. HPV co-infection was higher in women with colposcopic-histopathologically proven CIN2+ lesions than women with $cells/{\mu}L$ had higher CIN2+ prevalence after adjusting for current ART status and age (adjusted OR: 6.3, 95% CI: 1.1, 36.5). Conclusions: HIV/AIDS care and treatment programs should integrate effective cervical cancer prevention services to mitigate the risk of invasive cervical cancer among HIV-infected women in China.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.259-265
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• 2001

Staphylococal infection still remains to be one of the most serious infections, having various complications in the clinical use of indwelling polymeric medical devices. However, there are a few promising systems showing a high antibacterial effect without causing any demage of polymer backbone under biological environments such as blood or body fluid. In order to resolve this problem, we have designed a new antibiotic releasing system via a hydrolysis mechanism. The surface of biomedical polyurethane (PU) was modified by using 1,6-diisocyanatohexane (HMDI) to immobilize the rifampicon. Also, the immobilized rifampicin was designed to be released by a selective cleavage of the unstable carbamate linkage that exists on the rifampicin-immobilized polyurethane (PHR). The immobilization of rifampicin on the surface of polyurethane was confirmed by the disappearance of the characteristics IR absorbance peak of the isocyanate (-NCO) group at $2,267\;cm^{-1}$. The PHR showed a continuous rifampicin release profile under an aqueous environment of 10 mM of PBS (phosphate-buffered saline) for ove 6 days. The rifampicin molecules, which are released from PHR under an optimal bacterial infection environment, had a higher antibacterial activity against both S. aureus and S. epidermidis than rifampicin-incorporated polyurethane (RIP). In addition, the PHR maintained a stable antibacterial effect under a blood-mimic aqueous environment such as bovine calf serum.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.513-521
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• 2017

Infectious diarrhea is endemic in most developing countries. We aimed to investigate the protozoan, viral, and bacterial causes of acute diarrhea in Taif, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional prospective 1-year study was conducted on 163 diarrheal patients of various ages. Stool samples were collected, 1 per patient, and tested for 3 protozoa, 3 viruses, and 9 bacteria with the Luminex Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel. Overall, 53.4% (87/163) of samples were positives (20.8% protozoa, 19.6% viruses, 2.8% bacteria, and 9.8% mixed). Rotavirus (19.6%), Giardia duodenalis (16.5%), and Cryptosporidium spp. (8.5%) were the mostly detected pathogens. Adenovirus 40/41 (4.2%), Salmonella (3%), Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (3%), and Entamoeba histolytica (2.4%) were also detected. Norovirus GI/II, Vibrio cholerae, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Clostridium difficile toxin A/B were not detected in any patients. All pathogens were involved in coinfections except E. histolytica. Giardia (5.5%) and rotavirus (3%) were the most commonly detected in co-infections. Enterotoxigenic E. coli (2.4%), Campylobacter spp. (2.4%), E. coli 0157 (1.8%), and Shigella spp. (1.2%) were detected in patients only as co-infections. Infections were more in children 0-4 years, less in adults <40 years, and least >40 years, with statistically significant differences in risk across age groups observed with rotavirus (P<0.001), Giardia (P=0.006), and Cryptosporidium (P=0.036) infections. Lastly, infections were not significantly more in the spring. This report demonstrates the high burden of various enteropathogens in the setting. Further studies are needed to define the impact of these findings on the clinical course of the disease.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.365-372
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• 2008

Objectives : There are very few researches on North Korea's academic activities. Furthermore, it is doubtful that the available data are reliable. This study investigated research activities and knowledge structure in the field of Preventive Medicine in North Korea with a network analysis using co-authors and keywords. Methods : The data was composed of the North Korean Journal of preventive medicine ranged from Vol. 1 of 1997 to Vol. 4 of 2006. It was the matrix of 1,172 articles by 1,567 co-authors. We applied R procedure for keywords abstraction, and then sought for the outcome of network forms by spring-KK and shrinking network. Results : To comprehend the whole networks explicitly demonstrated that the academic activities in North Korea s preventive medicine were predisposed to centralization as similar as South Korea's, but on the other aspect they were prone to one-off intermittent segmentation. The principal co-author networks were formulated around some outstanding medical universities seemingly in addition to possible intervention by major researchers. The knowledge structure of network was based on experimentation judging from keywords such as drug, immunity, virus detection, infection, bacteria, anti-inflammation, etc. Conclusions : Though North Korea is a socialist regime, there were network of academic activities, which were deemed the existence of inducive mechanism affordable for free research. Article keywords has laid greater emphasis on experiment-based bacterial defection, sustainable immune system and prevention of infection. The kind of trend was a consistent characteristic in preventive medicine of North Korea haying close correlation with Koryo medical science.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.279-286
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• 2004

Total 160 head of porcine kidneys were examined for gross and histopathological lesions and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2), porcine parvovirus (PPV), Leptospira species and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). Grossly, 137 kidneys (85.6%) had lesions characterized by the presence of the scattered white foci. Microscopically, multifocal interstitial nephritis, which classified into 4 grades such as, no lesion (Score 0), mild lesion (Score 1), moderate lesion (Score 2) and severe chronic lesion (Score 3) with fibrosis, was observed in 159 cases (99.4%). The histopathologic mean score for multifocal interstitial nephritis was significantly different (P<0.05) between the cases of PCV-2 single infection and the cases of co-infection with PCV-2 and PPV. According to PCR evaluation, PCV-2 were detected in 73.8% (118 cases), PPV were in 66.9% (107 cases), however Leptospira spp. and PRRSV were negative in all kidneys. Both PCV-2 and PPV were detected in 52.5% (84 cases). In 84 cases co-infected with PCV-2 and PPV, the occurrence of lymphoid follicle and vasculitis were observed as 65.5% (55 cases) and 26.2% (22 cases), respectively. These results revealed that PCV-2 and PPV were major infectious agents for interstitial nephritis in slaughtered pigs, Jeju. And the histopathologic lesions of multifocal interstitial nephritis were more severe in the case co-infected with PCV-2 and PPV.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2018.10a
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• pp.448-451
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the developmental process of myelination by neuron and Schwann cell cultures and the development of demyelination by herpes simplex virus-1 infection by electron microscopy and molecular biological analysis. The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) was isolated from the mouse embryo and Schwann cells and neuronal cells were cultured in vitro. Neuronal cells treated with mitotic inhibitors and purified Schwann cells were co-cultured together to induce myelination. The herpes simplex virus-1 was infected with the co-cultured cells, and the demyelination was induced. The myelin protein zero (MPZ) antibody, which means the presence of myelin formation, was used and electron microscopy was used to observe the development of myelin and dehydration.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.131-135
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• 2015

Since April 2012, more than 1,600 laboratory-confirmed human infections with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) have been reported, occurring primarily in countries in the Arabian Peninsula; the majority in Saudi Arabia. The MERS outbreak in Korea, which began in May 2015 through the importation of a single case who had recently traveled to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. As of November 28th, 186 secondary and tertiary cases had been reported; 38 deaths, mainly associated with underlying chronic illnesses, were reported. One case was exported to China and has been recorded as the first MERS case in China. Thirty-seven confirmed cases were associated with the index case, who was hospitalized from May 15 to May 17. Emergency room at one of the nation's largest hospitals had been affected by hospital-to-hospital and intra-hospital transmissions of MERS-CoV, resulting in an outbreak of 90 infected patients. The vast majority of 186 confirmed cases are linked to a single transmission chain associated with health facilities. The median age of patients is 55 years, with a range of 16 to 87 years. The majority (61%) of patients are men. Twenty-five (14%) of the cases involve healthcare workers. The overall median incubation period was six days, but it was four days for secondary cases and six days for tertiary cases. There has been no evidence of airborne transmission and sustained human-to-human transmission in communities. Intensified public health measures, including contact tracing, quarantine and isolation of all contacts and suspected cases, and infection prevention and control have brought the MERS-CoV under control in Korea. Since 4 July no new cases have been reported.