• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.609-615
• /
• 2013

Glyceollin I has gained attention as a useful therapy for various dermatological diseases. However, the binding property of glyceollin I to the mammalian adenylyl cyclase (hereafter mAC), a critical target enzyme for the down-regulation of skin melanogenesis, has not been fully explored. To clarify the action mechanism between glyceollin I and mAC, we first investigated the molecular docking property of glyceollin I to mAC and compared with that of SQ22,536, a well-known mAC inhibitor, to mAC. Glyceollin I showed superiority by forming three hydrogen bonds with Asp 1018, Trp 1020, and Asn 1025, which exist in the catalytic site of mAC. However, SQ22,536 formed only two hydrogen bonds with Asp 1018 and Asn 1025. Secondly, we confirmed that glyceollin I effectively inhibits the formation of forskolin-induced cAMP and the phosphorylation of PKA from a cell-based assay. Long term treatment with glyceollin I had little effect on the cell viability. The findings of the present study also suggest that glyceollin I may be extended to be used as an effective inhibitor of hyperpigmentation.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.43 no.6
• /
• pp.842-851
• /
• 1996

Background : Rifampicin(RFP) is a key component of the antituberculous shon-course chemotherapy and the RFP-resistance is a marker of multi-drug resistant(MDR) M. tuberculosis. rpoB gene encodes the ${\beta}$-subunit of RNA polymerase of M. tuberculosis which is the target of RFP. Recent reports show that rpoB gene mutations are the cause of RFP resistance of M. tuberculosis and the main mechanism of rpoB gene mutation is point mutation. And PCR-SSCP is a rapid and easy method for detecting point mutations. So we performed PCR-SSCP of rpoB gene of M. tuberculosis and compared the result with traditional RFP sensitivity test. Method : The 27 RFP sensitive M. tuberculosis culture isolates and 25 RFP resistant isolates were evaluated. The RFP sensitivity test was done at the Korean Tuberculosis istitute. The DNA was extracted by bead beater method and was amplified with primers TR-8 and TR-9 in a 20ul PCR reaction containing 0.1ul(luCi) [${\alpha}-^{32}P$] - dCTP. After amplification, SSCP was done using non-denaturaring polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Then direct sequencing was done in cases of different eletrophoretic mobility compared with that of H37Rv. In 19 cases, we compared PCR-SSCP results with patient's clinical course and the results of traditional RFP sensitivity test. Results : 1) All 27 RFP sensitive M. tuberculosis isolates showed the same electrophoretic mobility compared with that of H37Rv. And all 25 RFP resistant M. tuberculosis isolates showed different electrophoretic mobility. 2) The mechanism of rpoB gene mutation of M. tuberculosis is mainly point mutation. 3) The PCR-SSCP results correlate well with traditional RFP sensitivity and patient's clinical response to antituberculous treatment. Conclusion: The PCR-SSCP of rpoB gene is a very sensitive and rapid mehod in detecting RFP- resistant M. tuberculosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.44 no.6
• /
• pp.1245-1255
• /
• 1997

Background : Rifampicin(RFP) is a key component of the antituberculous short-course chemotherapy and the RFP resistance is a marker of multi-drug resistant(MDR) tuberculosis. RPoB gene encodes the $\beta$-subunit of RNA polymerase of M. tuberculosis which is the target of RFP. And rpoB gene mutations are the cause of RFP resistance of M. tuberculosis. Although several reports showed that PCR-SSCP would be a rapid diagnostic method for identifying the RFP resistance, there were few reports Performed using direct, clinical specimens. So we Performed PCR-SSCP analysis of rpoB gene of M. tuberculosis in direct, clinical specimens. Methods : 75 clinical specimens were collected from patients at Asan Medical Center from June to August 1996. After PCR of IS 6110 fragments, 43 both AFB smear-positive and IS6110 fragment PCR-positive specimens were evaluated. The RFP susceptibility test was referred to the referral laboratory of the Korean Tuberculosis Institute. DNA was extracted by bead beater method. And heminested PCR was done using 0.1ul(1uCi) [$\alpha-^{32}P$]-dCTP. SSCP analysis was done using non-denaturating MDE gel electrophoresis. Results : The results of PCR of IS6110 fragments of M. tuberculosis were positive in 55(73%) cases of 75 AFB smear-positive clinical specimens. Of the 55 specimens, RFP susceptibility was confirmed in only 43 specimens. Of the 43 AFB smear-positive and IS6110 fragment-positive specimens, 29 were RFP susceptible and 14 were RFP resistant. All the RFP susceptible 29 strains showed the same mobility compared with that of RFP sensitive H37Rv in SSCP analysis of ropB gene. And all the other RFP resistant 13 strains showed the different mobility. In other words they showed 100% identical results between PCR-SSCP analysis and traditional susceptibility test. Conclusion : The PCR-sseP analysis of rpoB gene in direct clinical specimens could be used as a rapid diagnostic method for detecting RFP resistant M. tuberculosis.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.109-116
• /
• 2011

Purpose : Pneumococcus is one of the most important causes of invasive infection through the childhood period. In January 2008, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) published revised penicillin breakpoints for Streptococcus pneumoniae and penicillin susceptibility rates of S. pneumoniae increased in Korea. This study was performed to determine the probability of oral amoxicillin for the empirical treatment achieving bactericidal exposure against pneumococcus using pharmacodynamics model. Methods : Twenty-three isolates of pneumococci were subjected to determine minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for ${\beta}$-lactams and macrolide. For the ${\beta}$-lactams, exposure of fT >MIC (time that free drug concentrations remain above the MIC) for 50% of the administration interval have determined the probability of target attainment (PTA), and regimens that had a PTA >90% were considered optimal. An analysis was performed by applying MIC of 23 isolates to a 5000-patient Monte Carlo simulation model. Results : Among 23 isolates from healthy children, 7 (30.4%) isolates were MIC ${\leq}$1.0 ${\mu}g$/mL and 19 (82.6%) were MIC ${\leq}$2 ${\mu}g$/mL for amoxicillin. Amoxicillin 40 mg/kg/day achieved PTA >90% at MIC ${\leq}$1.0 ${\mu}g$/mL but PTA decreased to 52% at MIC 2 ${\mu}g$/mL, whereas amoxicillin 90 mg/kg/day can predict 97% of PTA at MIC 2 ${\mu}g$/mL. Overall, oral amoxicillin 90 mg/ kg/day for the empirical treatment against pneumococcus can expect more successful response in Korean children. Conclusion : Considering the resistantce pattern of pneumococci in Korean children, we estimate that oral amoxicillin 90 mg/kg/day will provide a pharmacodynamic advantage for the empirical treatment against pneumococcus. And low dose amoxicillin or macrolide are expected to have higher chance of treatment failure than high dose oral amoxicillin.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.51 no.3
• /
• pp.309-315
• /
• 2019

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common malignant neoplasm in women worldwide. Most cases of cervical cancer are caused by an infection by the human papillomavirus. Molecular diagnostic methods have emerged to detect the HPV for sensitivity, specificity, and objectivity. In particular, real-time PCR has been introduced to acquire a more sensitive target DNA or RNA. RNA extraction and complementary DNA synthesis are proceeded before performing real-time PCR targeting RNA. To identify an adequate and sensitive cDNA synthesis kit, this study evaluated the two commonly used kits for cDNA synthesis. The results show that the $R^2$ and efficiency (%) of the two cDNA synthesis kits were similar in the cervical cancer cell lines. On the other hand, the Takara kit compared to Invitrogen kit showed P<0.001 in the $10^2$ and $10^3$ SiHa cell count. The Takara kit compared to the Invitrogen kit showed P<0.001 in the $10^1$ and $10^2$ HeLa cell count. Furthermore, 8, 4, 2, 1, and 0.5 ml of forty exfoliated cell samples were used to compare the cDNA synthesis kits. The Takara kit compared to the Invitrogen kit showed P<0.01 in 8, 4, and 1 ml and P<0.05 in 0.5 mL. The study was performed to identify the most appropriate cDNA synthesis kit and suggests that a cDNA synthesis kit could affect the real-time PCR results.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.16 no.5
• /
• pp.567-574
• /
• 2022

Coronary artery disease (CAD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) are known to share many risk factors. In particular, in the case of acute coronary syndrome, it may be difficult to clearly determine the diameter of the vessel due to complete occlusion of the vessel and thrombus. Thus, the relationship between the diameter of the coronary arteries was evaluated to be used as a reference data before the treatment of coronary arteries and drug selection in patients with AF. From January 2020 to August 2022, images of coronary angiography (CAG) with AF and normal sinus rhythm (NSR) on electrocardiography were target. In both subjects, images of normal coronary artery without lesions as a result of CAG were used. For all vessels, the diameters of the vessels were measured by dividing them into proximal, middle, and distal parts, and the measured diameters were divided by the average for evaluation. As a result of analyzing the left anterior descending artery diameter, the vessel diameter of the AF patient was 2.24±0.26 mm, which was smaller than that of the NSR patient, 2.86±0.38 mm, and was statistically significant. (p<0.001) As a result of analyzing the left circumflex artery diameter, the vessel diameter of the AF patient was 2.34±0.28 mm, which was smaller than the vessel diameter of the NSR patient, 2.87±0.29 mm, and was statistically significant. (p<0.001) As a result of analyzing the diameter of the right coronary artery, the vessel diameter of the AF patient was 2.68±0.5 mm, which was smaller than the vessel diameter of the NSR patient, 3.35±0.4 mm, and was statistically significant. (p<0.001) Considering that the coronary artery size of AF patients is significantly smaller than the coronary vessel size of NSR patients, it is considered as a useful study to be used as a reference for evaluating coronary artery diameter when the arrhythmia is AF. In particular, it is considered to be a study that can be helpful in diagnosing lesions, using drugs before and after surgery, and choosing to use auxiliary devices such as intravascular ultrasound.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.39 no.6
• /
• pp.481-488
• /
• 2005

Purpose: Functional imaging of dopamine transporter (DAT) defines integrity of the dopaminergic system, and DAT is the target site of drugs of abuse such as cocaine and methamphetamine. Functional imaging the DAT may be a sensitive and selective indicator of neurotoxic change by the drug. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the clinical implications of qualitative/quantitative analyses of dopamine transporter imaging in methamphetamine abusers. Materials and Methods: Six detoxified methamphetamine abusers (abuser group) and 4 volunteers (control group) were enrolled in this study. Brain MRI was performed in all of abuser group. Abuser group underwent psychiatric and depression assessment using brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) and Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD), respectively. All of the subjects underwent I-123 IPT SPECT (IPT SPECT). IPT SPECT image was analysed with visual qualitative method and quantitative method using basal ganglia dopamine transporter (DAT) specific/non-specific binding ratio (SBR). Comparison of DAT SBR between abuser and control groups was performed. We also performed correlation tests between psychiatric and depression assessment results and DAT SBR in abuser group. Results: All of abuser group showed normal MRI finding, but had residual psychiatric and depressive symptoms, and psychiatric and depressive symptom scores were exactly correlated (r=1.0, p=0.005) each other. Five of them showed abnormal finding on qualitative visual I-123 IPT SPECT Abuser group had lower basal ganglia DAT SBR than that of control ($2.38{\pm}0.20\;vs\;3.04{\pm}0.27$, p=0.000). Psychiatric and depressive symptoms were negatively well correlated with basal ganglia DAT SBR (r=-0.908, p=0.012, r=-0.924, p=0.009). Conclusion: These results suggest that dopamine transporter imaging using I-123 IPT SPECT may be used to evaluate dopaminergic system of the basal ganglia and the clinical status in methamphetamine abusers.